LATEST NEWS:

How the California wildfires are highlighting the differences in attitudes between Trump and Biden

How the California wildfires are highlighting the differences in attitudes between Trump and Biden

As communities across Los Angeles County were gripped by wildfires, the crisis highlighted the deep difference between the presidents and their relationship with California.

President Joe Biden stood next to Gov. Gavin Newsom, a fellow Democrat, at a Santa Monica fire station and pledged full federal support for the state.

"We are prepared to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to keep these fires under control," Biden said.


Hours earlier, Republican President-elect Donald Trump, just days away from being sworn in on January 20, blamed "Newscum and his crew in Los Angeles" for the disaster.

In a post on his Truth social network, Trump said the Democratic governor "refused to sign a water restoration declaration," which he claimed would have allowed millions of gallons of rain and snowmelt to flow south to areas of burned.

"Now the ultimate price is being paid," Trump wrote.

"I will demand that this incompetent governor allows the beautiful, clean, fresh water to flow to CALIFORNIA," he added.

The president's statement, as communities burned and thousands fled their homes, echoed his earlier threats if Newsom refused to pursue water policy for California. yahoonews, the Telegraph reports.

Water experts have said, however, that Trump's proposals will likely run into substantial hurdles and that his claims trying to link the water supply to firefighter response were inaccurate.

However, Newsom praised Biden, as he said he "doesn't play political games" during disasters.

"It is impossible for me to express the level of appreciation and cooperation that we have received from the White House and this administration," Newsom said.

Presidents are understood to have wide discretion when it comes to disaster aid, which could be jeopardized in the future if Trump follows through on threats after his inauguration.

California and other states receive most of their federal wildfire aid through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, including payments and direct services to homeowners and renters whose properties were damaged and public assistance for things like search teams. -rescue, waste removal and infrastructure repair.

States must demonstrate that an incident is of such severity and magnitude that a response is beyond the state's capabilities in order to qualify.

The governor must request, and the president must declare a major disaster and then approve any assistance the governor requests.

FEMA decides whether a federal disaster declaration is warranted and makes a recommendation to the president.

In the past, presidents have followed this recommendation, but there is nothing in the law that requires them to do so.

Trump initially refused to approve federal aid to California for the 2018 wildfires until a National Security Council staffer told him Orange County had a heavy concentration of voters who supported it, according to Politico.

In another example, in 2020, FEMA rejected a request to provide aid to California for a half-dozen wildfires, then reversed course the next day after Republicans appealed to Trump.

But despite Trump's tough rhetoric, he traveled to California as president to survey the fire damage and meet with Newsom.

Trump visited the country in 2018 after the state's deadliest wildfire.

And he met with Newsom in Sacramento after a wave of wildfires in 2020.

However, it appears that this relationship has deteriorated during the Biden presidency. /Telegraph/