Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Gavin Newsom Throws Major Shade At Trump With Message Thanking Biden For Fire Assistance

Screenshot of Gavin Newsom; Donald Trump
NBC News; Scott Olson/Getty Images

California Governor Gavin Newsom praised President Biden for quickly responding to his request for an emergency declaration due to the Palisades Fire, and got a dig in at Trump in the process.

California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom praised President Joe Biden for quickly responding to his request for FMAG (Fire Management Assistance Grants) due to the devastating Palisades Fire, and got a dig in at Donald Trump in the process.

Authorities confirmed Wednesday morning that an estimated 1,000 structures, including many homes, have been destroyed by a Santa Ana wind-driven wildfire in Los Angeles' Pacific Palisades neighborhood.


Evacuations were ordered for the entire Pacific Palisades area extending to the Pacific Ocean, with additional warnings issued for parts of Santa Monica and Calabasas. The evacuation orders affected tens of thousands of homes and businesses across the region.

Trump placed the blame for the "apocalyptic" wildfires on Newsom and even suggested Newsom cares too much for the environment, writing the following in a post on Truth Social:

"Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way."
"He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but didn’t care about the people of California. Now the ultimate price is being paid."
"I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is the blame for this. On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, not firefighting planes. A true disaster!"

You can see his post below.

Screenshot of Donald Trump's Truth Social post@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social

Newsom declared a state of emergency that was secured through approval from the Federal Emergency Management Assistant Grant and will permit "local, state, and tribal agencies responding to the fire to apply for 75 percent reimbursement of their eligible fire suppression costs."

Biden himself has been in contact with Newsom and been briefed on the disaster, noting that he has "offered any federal assistance that is needed to help suppress the terrible Pacific Palisades fire" and that his administration "will do everything it can to support the response."

Newsom then thanked Biden during a press conference—though he also threw some shade at Trump for his remarks, saying that with Biden there was no need for "kissing of the feet" to get help:

"The President of the United States happens to be in town. It didn't take more than a text message to get the FMAG approved, which means we're getting reimbursed for the vast majority of these costs."
"No politics, no hand-wringing, no kissing of the feet. President of the United States said 'Yes, what else do you need? The emergency proclamation is being drafted as we speak.'"
"I just want to thank the president because that's something I don't take for granted and something we should not take for granted at this moment in American history, so thank you, President Biden, as well."

You can hear Newsom's remarks in the video below.

“I want to say, because you can’t say it enough, is expression of gratitude. (...) It didn’t take more than a text message to get the FMAG approved. No politics, no hand wringing, no kissing of the feet. POTUS said, ‘yes. What else do you need?’ Thank you President Biden.” #PalisadesFire — CA

[image or embed]
— Being Liberal (@beingliberal.bsky.social) January 8, 2025 at 1:19 AM

Many appreciated Newsom's response and Biden's swift action—and criticized Trump's statements themselves.

This man is doing his job. I know another man who doesn’t know how to do his job that he has been elected to do.
— hopefulme2.bsky.social (@hopefulme2.bsky.social) January 8, 2025 at 2:10 AM



This is the normal way it works. After 1/20, probably not.
Karen Hanson (@hanson412.bsky.social) January 8, 2025 at 1:27 AM



I thought better that the fire happened now than in February when they would have to beg for government help.
— Peggy C (@pegbear.bsky.social) January 8, 2025 at 7:21 AM



History will remember Biden as a very good President - truly a president for the people OVER the rich - for once - & sincere in his desire to serve - Completely unlike what we face going forward
— broekn.bsky.social (@broekn.bsky.social) January 8, 2025 at 11:16 AM


Newsom and Trump have clashed many times before—and we can expect more of that once Trump takes the oath of office again.

Trump previously commented on wildfires and forest fires in Newsom's state and claimed "forest management is so poor" even though "billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests." Trump threatened to withhold emergency funding, demanding that Newsom "remedy" the matter.

Trump's criticisms have sparked sharp backlash from opponents, who accuse him of politicizing natural disasters that devastate communities and claim lives. Newsom and other Democrats have consistently argued that California’s wildfires are exacerbated by climate change and global warming.

Newsom’s office has countered forcefully, highlighting the governor’s significant investments in fire prevention and management projects, including $225.8 million allocated to streamline programs focused on “reducing fuels in the forest, increasing forest health, and defensible space around homes.”

More from News/political-news

bride and groom cutting wedding cake
Wedding Dreamz on Unsplash

People Who Smashed Wedding Cake In Their Spouse's Face Reveal How Their Relationship Is Going Now

According to The Knot wedding resource magazine and website, smashing cake into the face of a spouse after tying the knot is a tradition tied to medieval England. To celebrate the marriage, the bride would toss a piece of piece of cake over her shoulder for good luck.

This evolved into newlyweds feeding a piece of cake to one another, then taking frosting or a small bit of cake and rubbing it gently onto each other's faces—usually the cheek or tip of the nose.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of U.S. Army veteran who criticized Donald Trump
@btnewsroom/TikTok

U.S. Army Vet Goes Viral With Blistering Speech Ripping Trump For Deploying Troops To L.A.

A U.S. Army veteran went viral after she spoke out to encourage other current and former military members to publicly condemn President Donald Trump for using them as "pawns" to suit his own ends after he deployed the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles amid ongoing protests against his administration's immigration raids.

Trump has activated over 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines, despite opposition from city and state leaders. He has painted a bleak picture of Los Angeles—claims that Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom say are wildly exaggerated.

Keep ReadingShow less
Barack and Michelle Obama
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The Obamas Just Shared A Rare Family Photo With Their Adult Daughters To Celebrate Sasha's Birthday

Former President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama warmed hearts when they shared the same photo to their respective social media accounts, showing them with their adult daughters, Sasha and Malia, to commemorate Sasha's 24th birthday.

Sasha Obama was born in June 2001, nearly eight years before the family moved into the White House at the start of her father's first term in January 2009. She and her older sister, Malia, now 26, spent their formative years in the presidential residence, growing up there throughout their father’s two terms, until the family departed in 2017.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Joe Biden
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images; Scott Olson/Getty Images

Trump Dragged After Hilariously Flubbing Insult About Biden's Mental Acuity

The term malaphor means when two or more colloquial phrases or idioms get confused and combined to create something nonsensical. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), malaphors are a common symptom of frontotemporal dementia or other cognitive impairments.

So when a person seeks to accuse someone of being unintelligent, their use of malaphors is ironic and possibly very telling—narcissists will always accuse others of their own faults and failures.

Keep ReadingShow less
Christy Walton; Donald Trump
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

MAGA Now Calling For Walmart Boycott After Heiress Funds Ad Promoting Anti-Trump Protests

MAGA fans are boycotting Walmart after Christy Walton, one of the retail giant's heirs, took out a full-page ad in The New York Times promoting the “No Kings” protests planned against President Donald Trump's military parade.

Walton, who is worth an estimated $19.3 billion and ranks among the wealthiest women in the U.S., urged critics of Trump to "mobilize" against the parade—echoing a similar message she shared in a New York Times ad back in March.

Keep ReadingShow less