DeSantis Shreds Reporter Over Claim Trump Is ‘Politicizing’ Calif. Wildfires

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis clashed with a reporter during a press conference after being asked whether President-elect Donald Trump was “politicizing” the destructive wildfires ravaging Los Angeles by criticizing Democratic leaders, including California Governor Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.

The reporter began asking, “Is it appropriate for a president-elect or a president to be criticizing…” but DeSantis interrupted.

“Is it appropriate for people in your industry to try to create division and narratives anytime these things happen?” DeSantis shot back. Speaking from Mar-a-Lago, where he and other GOP governors had gathered, he continued, “You’re not as interested in doing that because Newsom is a D. If Newsom were a Republican, you’d have him nailed to the wall for what they’re doing over there.”

DeSantis criticized the media for its perceived bias, saying, “In Florida, anytime something happens, we just assume it’s going to be politicized by the media. So you guys sitting in judgment of Donald Trump—excuse me, your track record of politicizing these things is very, very bad.”

Pressed further about Trump’s claim that Newsom should resign over the wildfires, DeSantis cited his own experience managing the aftermath of Florida’s Surfside condo collapse. “When that tragedy happened, the media rushed to blame me without facts. They said, ‘He didn’t declare a state of emergency.’ But that’s irrelevant when we were already responding.”

DeSantis pointed to what he called a double standard in media coverage. “If the LA mayor were a Republican, I can only imagine the scrutiny. Fires are at high risk, and she goes on some kind of trip to Africa? She should have been preparing. Yet, there’s little criticism directed her way.”

He concluded by calling for fairness. “You can criticize the president-elect, but hold other leaders accountable too. I haven’t seen that.”

As wildfires continue to devastate Los Angeles County, a three-month-old video of Trump on The Joe Rogan Experience has resurfaced, bringing renewed attention to his critiques of California’s environmental policies.

In the podcast, Trump argued that California’s fire management failures stem from inadequate forest maintenance and water policies. He specifically called out the lack of reservoirs and diversion of water for environmental purposes.

“They said, ‘We have no water,’” Trump told Rogan. “I said, do you have a drought? ‘No, we don’t have a drought.’ I said, why do you have no water? ‘Because the water isn’t allowed to flow down.’ It’s routed into the Pacific Ocean to protect a tiny fish. Millions and millions of gallons wasted.”

With wildfires currently raging across Los Angeles and no containment in sight, Trump’s pointed critique is being revisited in light of California’s ongoing struggles to manage its fire risks.