Stephanie Grisham, once a staunch supporter of Trump and the former press secretary for both Donald and Melania, no mince words when she spoke at last summer’s Democratic National Convention. She candidly shared with the national audience that the president lacks empathy, morals, and adherence to the truth, something she has witnessed firsthand.
Recalling a piece of advice Trump gave her, Grisham relayed his approach to being a spokesperson: “It doesn’t matter what you say, Stephanie — say it enough and people will believe you.”
Adding to this portrayal is Trump’s consistent avoidance of identifying as a president for all Americans, especially those who didn’t cast their vote for him. His reaction to Los Angeles during its recent crisis was just as foreseeable as the wildfires ignited by an unusual combination of hurricane-like Santa Ana winds and a parched landscape. Together, these factors turned tiny sparks into raging fires, turning homes into nothing more than kindling.
In a move many found unprecedented, Trump called for conditions on federal disaster aid for California, while applying no such stipulations to the mostly Republican states struggling to rebuild after hurricanes the previous fall. On his visit to L.A. last week, Trump refrained from making those demands face-to-face with Californians. Yet, hoping he’s had a change of heart might be overly optimistic.
From the moment the fires began, Trump has been promoting an absurd narrative suggesting California’s Democratic leadership could simply turn on a valve in Northern California, thus releasing “beautiful, clean, fresh water” to help—this was something he posted on his social media on January 8th. Even during his inaugural address, he falsely claimed the wildfires were raging “without even a token of defense,” despite firefighters, including those from Canada and Mexico, bravely enduring lengthy shifts.
Despite numerous factual corrections confirming no such valve issue existed when the fires started on January 7th, Trump continues to spread misinformation.
Because, as he believes, repeat it often enough, and people will start to believe it.
Then came his most outrageous claim late on a Monday night. Trump asserted that the U.S. Military had just entered California and, under Emergency Powers, turned on water from the Pacific Northwest. He declared the days of prioritizing “Fake Environmental” concerns over the people were over, ending with an incredulous “Enjoy the water, California!!!”
The following day, Trump’s new spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, commenced her inaugural White House briefing by parroting this claim. She lauded Trump’s so-called successful “pressure campaign” on California’s state and local officials who, in her words, lacked common sense, for making the fictitious water flow happen.
However, this wasn’t true. As confirmed by Fox News’ Pentagon correspondent Jennifer Griffin shortly before Leavitt’s announcement, U.S. defense officials clarified no troops were involved in “turning on the water” in California, refuting Trump’s midnight claims. The California Department of Water Resources also corroborated this.
Trump’s misrepresentations and falsehoods are detrimental, especially when Americans are in the throes of natural disasters; misleading hurricane victims from Florida to southwest Virginia with misinformation about the Biden administration’s emergency response is just as troubling. Yet, the ongoing politicization of federal disaster aid, particularly when California is the affected state, remains profoundly disturbing.
Usually, disaster aid transcends political divisions, focusing on victims rather than political leaders. It’s a matter of humanity, as some victims may have voted for Trump; however, political preference should not influence aid eligibility. Only a politician utterly devoid of empathy and morals would impose conditions on disaster assistance based on voting history.
It’s evident that Trump aims to politicize the issue. In North Carolina, before traveling to L.A., he falsely argued that Biden’s administration had delayed aid to the state for political reasons since it didn’t support Biden in 2020. When asked directly, Trump claimed he wouldn’t impose conditions on aid to North Carolina, a state that voted for him in three recent elections. However, he immediately added he has conditions for California: implement a state voter ID law and “release the water.”
Trump concluded, “After that, I will be the greatest president that California has ever seen.”
He seemingly dropped the notion of tying aid to an extension of the federal debt limit, a proposal seemingly rejected by far-right Republicans.
Trump’s readiness to leverage disaster aid for political gain isn’t surprising. His first term saw slowed aid to Democrat-leaning Puerto Rico, devastated by hurricanes, while accelerating aid to Republican-leaning states like Florida, Missouri, and Texas, as revealed by a then-inspector general’s investigation. Trump reportedly withheld aid from California after the 2018 wildfires until it became clear that certain Trump-supporting areas within the state needed assistance.
Before the 2024 elections, Newsom cited the 2018 experiences as a warning about what re-electing Trump could bring. Now, it seems, that forecasted future has arrived.
You can follow Jackie Calmes’ insights on @jackiekcalmes.
