Former President Donald Trump made several inflammatory comments during a speech at his Rancho Palos Verdes golf course last week.
At one point, Trump turned his sights on California Governor Gavin Newsom, accusing him of ruining San Francisco during his time as mayor and destroying the state as governor.
After disparaging Newsom's political career, Trump threatened to withhold firefighting aid from California if he is re-elected unless Newsom agreed to follow certain policies.
"And if he doesn't sign those papers, we won't give him money to put out all his fires," said the former president.
Newsom responded to Trump on 'X' shortly after the comments were made, saying:
"[Trump] just admitted he will block emergency disaster funds to settle political vendettas. Today, it's California's wildfires. Tomorrow, it could be hurricane funding for North Carolina or flooding assistance for Pennsylvania."
Newsom wasn't the only one angered by Trump's rhetoric. Brian Rice, President of the California Professional Firefighters Union, told KNX News that Trump should be 'ashamed' of what he said.
Rice said Trump's actions undermine the safety of both firefighters and the public they serve. He emphasized that firefighters are currently battling large wildfires across California, with lives and homes at risk, and accused Trump of playing political games at the expense of public safety.
"There shouldn't be a firefighter in this state that would vote for a leader that would openly threaten to withhold funding or services," said Rice. "You just don't politicize disasters."
The union leader said he refuses to give Trump a pass, "There are some things you keep your mouth shut on, and you look at the men and women doing the job on the fire line, risking life and limb, and you go, we appreciate you, we have your back, whatever you need. Thank you for doing what you do," he said.
Want to get caught up on what's happening in SoCal every weekday afternoon? Click to follow The L.A. Local wherever you get podcasts.
He also criticized the former president for saying that he could fix California's frequent droughts.
"I'm born and raised in California, and I've never seen a giant faucet yet that you can turn off and on in a day that changes the water flow - I'd love to see that," said Rice.
Rice also praised Governor Newsom for aiding firefighting efforts, saying, "If you look at his record, the 2024 budget, Governor Newsom committed $2.6 billion to protect Californians from wildfires and improve forest health. In 2020, the governor signed a shared stewardship agreement with the United States Forest Service, mapping out a 20-year science-based strategy to achieve wildfire resilience in forest health."
State Professional Firefighters Union represents 35,000 career firefighters.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
