As deadly wildfires around Los Angeles continue to burn, President-elect Donald Trump has wielded the disaster as a political cudgel, faulting Democrats for the devastation.

Trump, during the 2024 campaign, threatened to withhold federal aid to California wildfires as president if Newsom didn’t change that policy. He said at the time that he would give the Golden State “more water than almost anybody has,” allowing farmers to have full use of their land.