With the wildfires wreaking havoc in Los Angeles, Governor Gavin Newsom extended an invite to President-elect Donald Trump to take part in reviewing the spiraling state of affairs. This invitation, garnished with hollow decorum but devoid of any actionable solutions, was made public through a letter Newsom posted on his social media channels over the weekend. The governor requested that Trump engage with the victims of the fires and show his appreciation for the first responders. Newsom’s letter also carried a cautionary note against pushing political agendas in a disaster situation and promoting falsehoods about the wildfire crisis.
In recent days, the Governor and Trump’s exchanges have been anything but cordial. Trump, on his social media platform Truth Social, has been quite vocal about his disapproval of the Governor, dismissively referring to him as ‘Newscum’. He has publicly called for Newsom’s resignation, citing poor handling of the wildfire debacle that has led to a disastrous loss of homes, properties, and lives.
Contrary to Newsom’s sentiment of putting politics aside in times of crisis, Trump had alleged that the colossal damage inflicted by the fires might be the worst financial blow our country has ever faced. He even expressed doubts over the capability of insurance companies to adequately compensate for the enormous losses.
The wildfires, raging uncontrollably to date, have claimed at least 11 lives, incinerated 37,000 acres—an area larger than San Francisco, and have left tens of thousands without homes or shelter. Over 12,000 structures have been reduced to ashes as a consequence of the disaster.
Trump’s reaction to such catastrophes is hardly a novelty. Throughout his time in office, Trump’s display of concern, or lack thereof, was quite evident. His initial query during any state disaster aid request was to know if the victims were his affiliates, further adding to his polarizing image.
During Hurricane Maria that hit Puerto Rico in 2017 causing significant loss of life, Trump’s response was staggeringly slow. He diverted emergency funding from FEMA towards his mass migration drive and delayed aid to the ravaged island. The Trump administration was implicated in slowing down over $20 billion aid intended for Puerto Rico, with Trump opting instead to fling paper towels in a church in San Juan.
When Hurricane Helene later wreaked havoc in the southeastern US, causing extensive death and destruction, Trump’s claims stirred further controversy. He accused North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper of denying aid to Republican territories and spread unconfirmed reports blaming Harris for misusing FEMA funds for providing housing to undocumented migrants. Both claims were later debunked.
As Los Angeles grapples with the raging wildfires, some far-right extremists have propagated baseless theories. They hold city’s inclusion initiatives within the fire department responsible for the current situation, equating diversity measures with the loss of lives and properties.
The far-right accused the city of prioritizing DEI over saving lives. There were also suggestions that by discouraging white men from becoming firefighters, Los Angeles has insufficient manpower to counter the wildfire, thus resulting in the city’s rapid descent into a smoky ruin.
Experts, on the other hand, attribute the widespread destruction primarily to climate change and insufficient funding challenges. They report that factors like the wind, unusually dry weather, and multiple simultaneous fires in the area have rendered much of the damage unavoidable.
Despite human intervention potentially minimizing the fallout from these fires, one expert commented on the unprecedented nature of the disaster. According to him, there isn’t a water system in the world that would have been adequately prepared for an event of this magnitude.
In the wake of the escalating wildfire crisis, President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration, to seemingly show support for the ravaged region. However, this merely echoed hollow promises of federal assistance that seems to be more about scoring political points than providing actual, meaningful relief.
Biden further claimed that the federal government will shoulder the entire cost of fire management and debris removal for the next six months. Given that this period extends beyond when Trump is due to take office, it’s clear this hollow promise is another attempt to save face rather than provide any genuine assistance.