Days after US President-elect Donald Trump blamed the California Governor for the wildfires ravaging Los Angeles, Gavin Newsom on Saturday invited the Republican to take stock of the devastation and meet the victims. In a hard-hitting letter to Trump, the California Governor asked him not to “politicise a human tragedy” and “spread disinformation from the sidelines”.
Newsom, a Democrat, underscored the need for unity and collaboration amid the tragedy, which has killed at least 11 people.
“As you prepare to assume the presidency once more, I invite you to come to California. The hundreds of thousands of Americans – displaced from their homes and fearful for the future – deserve to see us all working together in their best interests, not politicising a human tragedy and spreading disinformation from the sidelines,” the Governor said.
Lakhs have been displaced and thousands of homes have been destroyed in what is the most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history. It has also ripped through homes of several Hollywood celebrities, prompting them to flee.
In his letter, Newsom reminded Trump of the time when he travelled to California as President to survey the damage after the Paradise fire in 2018 and a spate of wildfires in 2020.
Explaining the reason behind the tragedy after Trump’s criticism of his handling of the situation, Newsom said, “On January 7, a massive windstorm hit Southern California, with hurricane-force gusts nearing 100 miles per hour in Los Angeles County. Southern California has seen virtually no rain this winter, and when those winds swept through the parched landscape, tiny ignitions became raging wildfires.”
DONALD TRUMP BLAMES CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR FOR WILDFIRES
Trump has been a vocal critic of Newsom since the fires began and blamed the governor for the disaster, even seeking his resignation. He claimed that a lack of water in Southern California led to a shortage for the firefighters.
Referring to Newsom as “Newscum”, Trump said, “The governor 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.”
“He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but didn’t care about the people of California,” the President-elect said.
