As wildfires continue to devastate Los Angeles County, forcing residents to flee for safety, a resurfaced video of Donald Trump discussing California\u2019s fire management policies has gone viral.<\/p>\n
The clip, from a three-month-old appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, features Trump\u2019s sharp criticism of California\u2019s environmental policies and inadequate forest maintenance. With three major wildfires raging and no containment in sight, Trump\u2019s comments are now being reconsidered in the context of the ongoing crisis.<\/p>\n
In the podcast, Trump addressed California\u2019s failure to build water reservoirs and manage its forests, which he claimed were crucial in preventing catastrophic wildfires.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey said, \u2018We have no water,\u2019\u201d Trump told Rogan. \u201cI said, do you have a drought? \u2018No, we don\u2019t have a drought.\u2019 I said, why do you have no water? \u2018Because the water isn\u2019t allowed to flow down.\u2019 It\u2019s got a natural flow from Canada all the way up north, more water than they could ever use. And in order to protect a tiny little fish, the water up north gets routed into the Pacific Ocean. Millions and millions of gallons of water gets poured.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s remarks underscore a long-standing frustration with environmental regulations that aim to protect the delta smelt, a small fish native to California\u2019s waterways, putting the species over the needs of Californians \u2014 a mistake being borne out again as massive fires sweep across the state causing tens of billions in damage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could have water for all of that land, water for your forests,\u201d Trump continued. \u201cYou know your forests are dry as a bone.\u201d He explained that simple maintenance measures, such as clearing deadfall and raking leaves, could save billions in annual fire damage.<\/p>\n
\u201cGovernor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way,\u201d Trump wrote.<\/p>\n
He then shredded Newsom for prioritizing the fish over human safety, saying, \u201cHe wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt\u2026 but didn\u2019t care about the people of California. Now the ultimate price is being paid.\u201d<\/p>\n
Others have piled on Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass as the fires spread and consume more acreage.<\/p>\n
That includes actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, who chastised Bass on Tuesday as the Palisades Fire burned in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
\u201cCity of LA you want everyone to evacuate yet you have complete gridlock and not one traffic cop on the roads helping,\u201d Gellar wrote on Instagram stories with tags to the official social media accounts for the City of Los Angeles and Bass.<\/p>\n
Former \u201cDancing with the Stars\u201d professional dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy also took to social media Wednesday, writing, \u201c5th largest economy on the planet. Firefighters didn\u2019t have enough water pressure to do their jobs?! Are you joking me?! The taxes we pay for 3rd world infrastructure is unbelievable?! Come on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Actress Sara Foster wrote on X, \u201cWe pay the highest taxes in California. Our fire hydrants were empty. Our vegetation was overgrown, brush not cleared. Our reservoirs were emptied by our governor because tribal leaders wanted to save fish. Our fire department budget was cut by our mayor. But thank god drug addicts are getting their drug kits. @MayorOfLA @GavinNewsom RESIGN. Your far left policies have ruined our state. And also our party.\u201d<\/p>\n
Celebrity fitness trainer Jillian Michaels recalled losing her home in the 2018 Woolsey Fire as she also took to X to criticize California\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mayor is apparently in Ghana,\u201d she wrote. \u201cThe fire departments budget was apparently cut by 17 mil. And someone made the decision to not refill some of the reservoirs \u2013 now some fire hydrants are dry. Leadership in California is beyond negligent. This is completely unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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