As California battles out-of-control wildfires, a resurfaced interview reveals President-elect Donald Trump warned of this exact crisis months ago. In October, Trump appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast and criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) for failing to manage the state’s water supply and forest conditions, both of which he argued would lead to devastating fires.
Trump explained how water from northern California is diverted into the Pacific Ocean to protect the delta smelt, a small fish species, leaving farmlands and forests dangerously dry. He recalled traveling through California with members of Congress and seeing barren farmland, asking, “How come all this land is so barren?” Trump was told that water was intentionally blocked from reaching southern areas, a decision he blasted as reckless.
Here is Trump on Rogan 2 months ago explaining how California wastes millions of gallons of water diverting it to the Pacific and that their poor forest management will lead to dangerous fires pic.twitter.com/4gZKyoLCun
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) January 9, 2025
Trump had attempted to redirect water to drought-stricken regions during his presidency, but Newsom sued to block the policy in 2020. That decision prevented over 600,000 acre-feet of water from flowing south annually—water Trump argued could have prevented the forests from becoming “dry as a bone.”
Hollywood wildfires unfold exactly as Joe Rogan predicted 6 MONTHS AGO after speaking with a local firefighter.
And what did ALLLLLL you normies do when Trump was talking about cleaning out the forests with all the dead leaves and fallen trees?
You laughed at him. Now what? pic.twitter.com/ZLoHs136dt
— I am @sheeplovelies (@Imsheeplovelies) January 9, 2025
As fires now rage across California, Trump criticized Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for what he called “gross negligence.” On Truth Social, Trump said, “Fire is spreading rapidly for 3 days — ZERO CONTAINMENT. Gross incompetence by Gavin Newscum and Karen Bass.” He also blamed the Biden administration’s FEMA for being unprepared, accusing it of wasting funds on environmental programs instead of disaster response.
Gavin Newsom’s failed water and forest management policies helped turn what could be manageable fires into devastating infernos.
And Trump called it months ago on his interview with Joe Rogan. pic.twitter.com/i6UfdUeEb1
— Scott Adams (@scottadamsshow) January 8, 2025
Trump has long advocated for proactive forest management, including clearing underbrush and dead trees to limit fire risks. California’s refusal to implement such measures has left forests overgrown and highly flammable, contributing to the severity of the current fires.
With lives lost and entire communities devastated, Trump’s early warnings are gaining renewed attention. The crisis raises serious questions about California’s environmental policies and whether political opposition to Trump’s proposals has now cost the state dearly.
