As Los Angeles endeavors to recover from the devastating wildfires and gears up for the 2028 Olympic Games, Donald Trump is seemingly creating more obstacles than solutions. In the aftermath of the fires, California Governor Gavin Newsom urged Trump to assist in the rebuilding efforts, recognizing his role in securing the Olympics for the city. “President Donald Trump was helpful in getting the Olympics to the United States of America — to get it down here in LA. We thank him for that. This is an opportunity for him to shine, for this country to shine, for California and this community to shine,” Newsom stated last month.
“That’s why we’re already organizing a Marshall plan. We have a team reimagining LA 2.0, ensuring everyone’s included.” However, instead of providing aid, Trump complicated matters by spreading misinformation regarding California’s water supply. He has persisted in promoting false claims, even telling Sean Hannity on Fox News that he might withhold aid from California unless the state agrees to “let water flow down.” This echoed unfounded assertions that Newsom and state officials were purposefully preventing Northern California water from reaching Los Angeles, allegedly dumping it into the Pacific Ocean through a so-called “valve.”
“Look, Gavin’s got one thing he can do,” Trump said, according to The New York Times. “He can release the water that comes from the north. There are massive amounts of water, rainwater and mountain water, that come down as it melts, they’re releasing it into the Pacific Ocean.” He insisted that water from the Pacific Northwest was readily available to Los Angeles but was being diverted into the ocean through a nonexistent “valve.” In truth, no pipeline exists to transport water from the Pacific Northwest to California, as such an endeavor has long been deemed impractical and cost-prohibitive. Yet, Trump has not hesitated to double down on this claim.
“Los Angeles has massive amounts of water available to it,” he asserted during a Tuesday press conference, insisting all that was needed was to “turn the valve” he claimed connected to the Pacific Northwest, where he said “millions of gallons of water a week” flow into California, which he noted had been turned off. Trump further claimed he had intervened personally, using the “United States Military” and “emergency powers” to restore this water supply. “The United States Military just entered the Great State of California and, under Emergency Powers, TURNED ON THE WATER flowing abundantly from the Pacific Northwest, and beyond. The days of putting a Fake Environmental argument over the PEOPLE are OVER. Enjoy the water, California!!!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Rather than remedying the situation, Trump’s actions appeared to exacerbate it, leading to a quick backlash from prominent Democrats. After Trump claimed he had “turned on the water,” California Senator Alex Padilla criticized the president for recklessly ordering two dams to be opened at full capacity—an act that would not even benefit Los Angeles. “Trump just ordered two dams open to levels that would have flooded Central Valley communities and farms – all to justify his lies about the LA fires,” Padilla posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “These rivers don’t even flow to Los Angeles,” he added. “The incompetence isn’t just staggering, it’s dangerous. And I’m demanding answers.”
Padilla’s remarks ignited various reactions on social media. “The Trump Administration showed gross incompetence by issuing a federal freeze order and then rescinding it. The Administration is now wasting water that CA farmers need in the summer. Their incompetence is harmful, dangerous and increases food prices,” former congressman Ted Lieu commented. “These rivers don’t even flow to Los Angeles…” the California Democratic Party remarked. “It seems like, instead of trying to talk Trump out of his craziest ideas or slow-walking them, his aides are just implementing them immediately?” Jonathan Chait of The Atlantic noted in a post. “This is how stupid Trump and his people are. They completely wasted water with this water release he ordered, and probably caused flooding. This is nothing but a waste of water. It has nothing to do with fire hydrants in Southern California. It will not reach Los Angeles,” another user added. “My family lives in Porterville, I live in Ventura County. This is insanity and does zero to help fight fires in LA. It makes the Central Valley flood and helps no one. Not even farmers,” another person expressed. Trump has not yet publicly responded to Padilla’s criticism, but it’s evident his latest actions have incited outrage.
