Donald Trump threatens California: no help for fire disasters
By Denise Sternberg
Los Angeles (California) - While fires in California continue to burn large areas and endanger people, US President Donald Trump (78) is now threatening to cut off aid from Washington.
In his first TV interview as newly sworn-in president, Trump attached conditions to federal aid for firefighting: "I don't think we should give California anything until they drain the water," Trump told Fox News.
Trump's criticism of California's water management is not new - and, according to US media, has been rejected by experts as false.
Just over two weeks ago, wildfires broke out in and around Los Angeles, killing at least 28 people and destroying an estimated 15,000 buildings.
While the largest fires are now largely under control, a new fire broke out in the region on Wednesday.
In recent weeks, there have been repeated reports of dry hydrants, which have made firefighting work more difficult.
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Trump, a Republican, praised California's firefighters as "brave" in the interview. However, he railed against the Democratic governor of the state, Gavin Newsom (57).
According to the Washington Post newspaper and CNN, Trump falsely claimed that Newsom had refused to allow water from the northern part of California to flow into the Los Angeles area in order to protect fish stocks. The extent of the fires was not caused by a lack of water from Northern California, it continued.
Los Angeles does not receive its water from there, the newspaper added, citing experts. The Washington Post emphasized that attaching conditions to federal aid in the event of natural disasters is not common practice in the USA. Under President Joe Biden (82), for example, aid was approved for mostly Republican-led states after hurricanes.
According to US media, Trump is expected in California on Friday, where he plans to visit areas affected by the fires. It was initially unclear whether Trump will meet Governor Newsom.