Ambassador Ric Grenell, who is President Donald Trump’s envoy for special missions, said Sunday that he told the president not to spend more money on California disasters until it addresses underlying problems.
Grenell, who is unofficially coordinating the federal response to the California wildfires, said in a lengthy post on X that the disaster had been caused by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s mismanagement, which needed to be fixed.
The state has been faulted for failing to clear brush on land adjacent to vulnerable communities; for failing to make sure that there was water available; and for causing many residents to lose their fire insurance policies.
Newsom is requesting $40 billion in aid, but is also attacking Trump rather than addressing the issues.
“I’ve told DJT we shouldn’t spend federal money on California if the problems aren’t fixed first,” Grenell said.
Newsom will mark six months since the Palisades and Eaton fires on Monday, with much debris cleared but very little achieved in terms of rebuilding — and many delays caused by the state and local bureaucracies.
Newsom has spent much of the last six months launching his podcast and attacking Trump as he positions himself for the Democratic Party presidential primary in 2028. He travels to South Carolina, the first primary state, on Tuesday and Wednesday, for a swing through eight rural counties.
Newsom plans to highlight his experience in handling natural disasters — which many Californians would say he has actually failed to do.