Trump places blame on Newsom for California wildfires, governor's office responds

President-elect Donald Trump placed blame on Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., for the wildfires that are spreading across parts of California.

"It's very sad because I've been trying to get Gavin Newsom to allow water to come - you'd have tremendous water up there, they send it out from the Pacific - because they're trying to protect a tiny little fish," Trump said after he met with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill on Wednesday evening. "For the sake of a smelt, they have no water… It's a mistake of the governor, and you could say, the administration."

Trump also said Newsom wasn't doing a good job in response to the fires but added that the two "worked well together" and would do so again when he starts his second term.

Trump posted on social media on Wednesday that Newsom is to "blame for this," referencing the wildfires.

"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 wrote.

Newsom's office responded by posting a statement on X.

"LADWP said that because of the high water demand, pump stations at lower elevations did not have enough pressure refill tanks at higher elevations, and the ongoing fire hampered the ability of crews to access the pumps," Newsom's press office wrote in a post on X.  "Broadly speaking, there is no water shortage in Southern California right now, despite Trump's claims that he would open some imaginary spigot."