Mary Trump, the outspoken niece of Donald Trump, has sharply criticized her uncle’s ability to handle crises, particularly amid the ongoing wildfires ravaging Los Angeles. She has argued that his lack of preparedness makes him unfit for presidential duties, especially in times of natural disasters, citing numerous examples from his first term in office. As Trump prepares to take office once again on January 20, the fires continue to rage.
In a recent blog post, Mary Trump described the president-elect as "terrible" during crises, pointing to the Los Angeles wildfires that have left at least 16 dead and destroyed thousands of homes. She accused him of using the disaster as an excuse to attack California's Democratic Governor, Gavin Newsom. Trump claimed Newsom had refused to sign a "water restoration declaration," which would have redirected millions of gallons of water from excess rain and snow to California.
However, Newsom and other officials have refuted this claim, stating no such declaration exists. Most water in Los Angeles is sourced locally, not from Northern California, and the fires were exacerbated by high winds and smoke, not water shortages.
Mary Trump criticized her uncle for spreading false claims during the crisis, citing this as another example of his "long, sordid history" of exacerbating situations. She recalled his disastrous response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017, which involved tossing paper towels at a crowd and receiving criticism for the delayed federal response. Additionally, she mentioned Trump’s blunder during Hurricane Dorian in 2019, when he mistakenly predicted Alabama would be hit by the storm, later presenting a doctored map to support his claim.
Mary Trump also pointed to his downplaying of COVID-19 as evidence of his failure in crisis management. She wrote in her blog: "Donald is no longer an unknown quantity. After four years of his first administration, we are all too familiar with the chaos he brings to already fraught situations. He has a long, sordid history of making things worse."
She further criticized his behavior during national emergencies, claiming he withheld aid from states whose governors did not show sufficient loyalty, misallocated resources, and promoted pseudoscience. "What we can expect," she wrote, "is this: If you need help in a crisis but you do not sufficiently kiss Donald's a**, he will not help you. He will use the crisis to perpetuate misinformation and conspiracy theories, leading to greater loss of life. He will blame the victims and divide us."
On January 8, Donald Trump took to Truth Social, attacking Newsom for allegedly blocking a water restoration declaration. He claimed this decision contributed to the fires, blaming Newsom for a "disaster" while also accusing him of prioritizing a "worthless fish" over the people of California. Trump's remarks included a call for the governor to allow "beautiful, clean, fresh water to flow into California," despite the lack of any supporting documentation for his claims.
Governor Newsom’s office quickly responded, stating that no such document as the water restoration declaration exists. Newsom emphasized his focus on public safety rather than engaging in political games and reassured that firefighters were receiving the necessary resources.
As Los Angeles firefighters continue to battle the blazes, the National Weather Service has extended a red-flag warning, indicating that warm temperatures and strong winds could escalate fire danger through Wednesday evening.
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