Gov. Ron DeSantis slams media for targeting Trump amid fire response: ‘Don’t politicize it’
Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., blasted the media Friday for trying to create “negative narratives” about President-elect Donald Trump and other conservative leaders over their reactions to the Los Angeles wildfires.
DeSantis criticized the media in an interview on “Fox & Friends” for targeting Trump over his reaction to the fires and the alleged shield Democratic legislators in Los Angeles and California during the disaster.
“I can say, ‘Just don’t politicize it at all.’ But I think the media — it’s like the pot calling the kettle black when they’re attacking Donald Trump, when they’re always the ones who lead in those cases,” DeSantis told host Lawrence Jones.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., criticized the media for politicizing the LA wildfires against President-elect Donald Trump. (REUTERS/Cheney Orr)
DeSantis was asked about his viral confrontation with a reporter at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence on Thursday. In that exchange, the governor generally upset the press by accusing Trump of politicizing the wildfires while saying nothing about the roles of Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., and Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in the crisis.
Speaking on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Trump accused Newsom of not doing a “good job” of fire protection in the country. In a post on Truth Social, the president-elect added: “Fire has been spreading fast for 3 days now – ZERO CONTAINMENT. No one has ever seen such failing numbers before! The gross incompetence of Gavin Newscum and Karen Bass… And Biden’s FEMA has no money – all spent on The green new scam in LA is a total wipeout!!!”
At a Mar-a-Lago presser, a reporter asked DeSantis if Trump’s shots at California leaders were appropriate. DeSantis shot back, “Is it appropriate for people in your industry to try to create divisions and try to create narratives whenever these things happen?”
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Altadena, CA – January 8: A firefighter extinguishes the Eaton fire on Wednesday, January 8, 2025 in Altadena, CA. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
“Now, you’re not so interested in it because Newsom is D. If Newsom was a Republican, you’d go and try to … have him nailed to the wall because of what they’re doing over there,” he added.
The governor told Jones the reasons for his rebuke of reporters the previous day, citing his own experience with the press criticizing him for natural disasters in Florida.
He said, “You know, they were trying to pin this on Donald Trump and they were going after him Donald Trump’s comments. And I’m just thinking to myself, I’ve seen how these people in the press react when these things happen in the state of Florida. All they’re trying to do is find things to create negative stories about.”
CALIFORNIA FIRES: IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS FOR LOS ANGELES AREA RESIDENTS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP THEM
“I remember when we had Hurricane Ian – A monster category 5 storm – hit southwest Florida. All they were looking for were negative things. And the reality was that the state was prepared. We had a huge response,” he continued.
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The governor also told Jones about how Florida is supporting Californians suffering from the wildfires, saying, “Well, we immediately offered to help. And so, the Florida Department of Emergency Management is in contact with the California Emergency Management Agency. And since there are requests to come, we will fulfill those requests.”
