Trump cites voter ID, water flow as conditions for LA wildfire aid

President Trump on Friday said he wanted to see two actions taken in California before he offered federal support for Los Angeles as it grapples with wildfires.

"I want to see two things in Los Angeles. Voter ID, so that the people have a chance to vote, and I want to see the water be released and come down into Los Angeles and throughout the state," Trump told reporters in North Carolina, where he was touring hurricane recovery efforts.

"Those are the two things. After that, I will be the greatest president that California has ever seen," he added.

Trump is slated to visit Los Angeles later Friday to view damage from the fires and meet with local officials.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D) office responded to Trump's comments with a fact-check about its voting laws, noting several other states do not require voter ID. Newsom's office also said it is currently able to pump as much water as it could under Trump's first-term policies.

"Conditioning aid for American citizens is wrong," the governor's office posted on social media.

Lawmakers in Congress are debating how to proceed with federal assistance to Los Angeles, where wildfires have killed dozens of people and destroyed communities.

Republicans have floated tying aid to a debt ceiling increase or changes to California's fire-mitigation policies. Democrats have vehemently opposed placing conditions on federal assistance to Los Angeles, arguing it would set a dangerous precedent.

Trump has fixated on the claim that California officials could provide additional water flow to Los Angeles from the northern part of the state by simply switching on a valve. But experts have pushed back, arguing the state's water supply issues are not that simple, and that fire hydrants ran dry in recent weeks because of a surge in demand.

The president has also for years pushed for the implementation of voter identification laws amid unproven claims of widespread fraud in elections.

California passed legislation that would take effect in 2026 that blocks municipalities from requiring voter ID in elections, a move made in response to one city passing a voter ID requirement.

Updated at 1:06 p.m.

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