Trump claims California had the chance to 'maintain their forests' amid Los Angeles wildfires

President-elect Trump said Monday that California had the chance to “maintain their forests” amid the ongoing Los Angeles-area wildfires.

“The problem is it's so dry, it was always so dry there, and it's just … it's just a mess. They could’ve, you know, maintained their forests, and — as I said they have to do,” Trump said on Newsmax’s “Rob Schmitt Tonight.”

Trump also said in his Newsmax interview that the Los Angeles area “is just desolate” due to the fires.

“It literally looks like a bomb, a massive bomb was dropped on top of them. The only thing standing are a couple of chimneys. Most of the chimneys were wiped out too, by the way,” Trump said.

Trump’s comments come as he has been recently criticizing California officials over their handling of the Los Angeles-area fires, most notably California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).

“One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground,” Trump said on Truth Social last Wednesday. “It’s ashes, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!”

The recent Los Angeles-area fires have devastated the region, destroying property en masse and leaving a death toll in the double digits in their wake.

Various factors have contributed to the intensifying fires, including strong Santa Ana winds, a dry winter, low humidity and packed vegetation.

Newsom raised concerns in an interview that aired Sunday about the chance of Trump withholding federal disaster aid to the Golden State during the deadly fires.

“He’s done it in Utah. He’s done it in Michigan, did it in Puerto Rico. He did it to California back before I was even governor, in 2018, until he found out folks in Orange County voted for him and he decided to give them money,” Newsom said in the interview.

In an emailed response to The Hill, posts on the social platform X from Newsom’s press office and his own account discussing water supplies, water availability and taking swings at Trump over recent comments about water usage were highlighted by the California governor’s office.

Updated at 11:04 p.m. EDT

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