US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, January 22, floated ending federal disaster relief and leaving states to fend for themselves during emergencies in his first Oval Office interview since returning to power. With Los Angeles scorched by wildfires and the eastern United States still recovering from two devastating hurricanes, Trump falsely accused the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of turning its back on victims.
“FEMA has not done their job for the last four years. You know, I had FEMA working really well. We had hurricanes in Florida, we had Alabama tornados,” Trump told Fox News.
“But unless you have certain types of leadership, it gets in the way. And FEMA is going to be a whole big discussion very shortly because I’d rather see the states take care of their own problems.”
Trump also repeated false claims California’s fish conservation efforts in the northern part of the state are responsible for fire hydrants running dry in urban areas. He says the blame for Los Angeles’ struggles to tame some of the deadly fires lies with Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, a political foe who has called for partnership and mutual respect as the state fights the blazes. “I don’t think we should give California anything until they let the water run down,” Trump said.
Trump’s remarks came as an explosive new wildfire erupted north of Los Angeles, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes and setting nerves jangling in an area still reeling from two deadly blazes.
Trump and Republicans in Congress have said that help for California should be conditioned on the actions of the state’s Democratic leaders, despite making no such suggestion when storms killed more than 100 people and caused destructive flooding across the US southeast.
Trump’s freewheeling press conferences and interviews distinguish him from previous presidents, particularly Joe Biden, who almost never agreed to sit down for detailed conversations with journalists.
The Republican was praised during his campaign for his embrace of podcasts, YouTube and other new media, but he went with tradition for the pre-taped primetime appearance, sitting down with Fox News star and staunch loyalist Sean Hannity.
Trump, who has more than a dozen ex-Fox News employees in his administration, discussed his barrage of executive orders and his plans for the first 100 days – the third day in a row he has spoken directly to the press.
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But while the Republican president gets credit from the press for being more accessible, it’s not clear that the American public is hanging on every word.
The TV viewing figures for his second inauguration were significantly lower than in previous years, with a peak of 34.4 million people tuning in, according to the New York Times – four million down from his first inaugural speech.
Hannity – an unapologetic mouthpiece for Republican talking points who became known as Trump’s “unofficial chief of staff” – has the highest-rated cable show for the 9:00 pm hour, pulling in an average of 2.8 million viewers.
Trump again defended his blanket pardons for hundreds of violent criminals who stormed the Capitol in 2021, dismissed security concerns over Chinese-owned app TikTok and discussed the possibility of cutting off federal funds to so-called “sanctuary cities” that shield undocumented migrants from federal detention requests.
Meeting with California governor up in the air
Just two days before Air Force One touches down in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom doesn’t know if he’s welcome to join Trump’s wildfire tour.
The Democratic governor is willing and able to meet with the Republican president in Southern California on Friday, according to Newsom’s office. But the White House has not issued any guidance to the Democratic governor about his plans. In fact, Newsom’s team says it only became aware of the president’s visit “from sources.”
The uncertainty just hours before Trump’s arrival underscores the complicated relationship between two of the nation’s most formidable political rivals. Newsom, in particular, is navigating a crisis that could undercut his state’s recovery and his presidential ambitions.
Newsom described Trump as a uniquely dangerous threat to American democracy for much of last year’s presidential campaign. And Trump regularly calls the governor “scum” – or, to be exact, “Newscum.”
“I don’t know,” Trump said Wednesday when asked by Fox News if he would meet the governor. “I haven’t even thought about it.”
