Last month, when massive wildfires devastated Los Angeles County, California, it appeared that newly-elected President Donald Trump would play a critical role in the region’s recovery as the city gears up for the 2028 Olympic Games. However, California seems to have reached its limit with his assistance. Initially, Governor Gavin Newsom praised Trump for his contributions in securing the Olympics for Los Angeles, suggesting it was “an opportunity for him to shine” amid the city’s rebuilding efforts. Newsom stated, “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.”
In recent weeks, Trump has caused more chaos than help. He spread misinformation and complicated the existing situation, even telling Sean Hannity on Fox News that he may withhold aid from California unless the state agrees to “let water flow down,” making baseless claims that state officials were intentionally preventing Northern California water from reaching Los Angeles by diverting it into the Pacific Ocean through a nonexistent “valve.” Trump asserted, “Look, Gavin’s got one thing he can do. He can release the water that comes from the north. There is massive amounts of water, rainwater and mountain water… they’re releasing it into the Pacific Ocean.”
Despite the lack of any connection between the Pacific Northwest and California, Trump insisted that water was readily available yet funneled into the ocean. During a Tuesday press conference, he reiterated, “Los Angeles has massive amounts of water available to it… they turned it off.” In his effort to validate his claims, Trump ordered the opening of two dams in central California, allowing around 2.2 billion gallons of water to flow out, and announced on social media that “the water is flowing in California,” suggesting it was intended for farmers and Los Angeles. However, experts pointed out that his decision resulted in more issues rather than solutions.
Heather Cooley from the Pacific Institute emphasized that this water release was wasted during a wet season and would not even reach Los Angeles, stating that it provided “zero benefit” to the state and could harm agriculture due to insufficient water supply during dryer months. “They were holding extra water in those reservoirs because of the risk that it would be a dry summer,” she explained. High-ranking officials in California expressed their displeasure with Trump’s misinformation. The California Department of Water Resources clarified, “The military did not enter California. The federal government restarted federal water pumps after they were offline for maintenance for three days. State water supplies in Southern California remain plentiful.”
Moreover, the State of California published an extensive fact-check of the Trump administration’s claims on a webpage titled “Hear the experts give the real facts on California water,” debunking many of Trump’s false statements. “Scientists, water managers, state leaders, and experts throughout the state are calling out the federal administration’s ongoing misinformation campaign on water management in California,” the site stated. John Buse from the Center for Biological Diversity remarked on the absurdity of Trump’s statements, saying, “It’s difficult to explain what he’s talking about because nobody knows what he’s talking about.” Miles Johnson, the Columbia Riverkeeper, dismissed Trump’s claims as completely detached from reality.
California Senator Alex Padilla criticized Trump’s actions, stating, “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. These rivers don’t even flow to Los Angeles.” Former Congressman Ted Lieu charged that the Trump Administration showed gross incompetence by issuing and then rescinding a federal freeze order, which ultimately wasted water that California farmers would need in the summer.
In light of these events, California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber announced last month that a ballot measure has been cleared for signature gathering, asking whether California should secede from the United States to become its own country. It’s clear that while California may have initially sought Trump’s help to rebuild for the 2028 Olympics, the state is now done with his assistance.
