Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California blamed President Donald Trump for the anger residents of the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires feel, despite the Republican not taking office until weeks after the blazes.
On Sunday, MS Now “The Weekend” host Eugene Daniels asked Khanna to respond to the race Republican Spencer Pratt is running in the Los Angeles mayoral contest against current Mayor Karen Bass: “What do you think we’re learning about how Californians feel about the incumbents, in general?”
“Look, I think that there is a lot of hurt and anger after the fires. My view is that the blame of that really needs to go on Donald Trump,” Khanna, whose district is in the San Francisco Bay Area, replied.
“They still owe the state $50 billion. They have not worked with Mayor Bass or our governor to get the resources needed. And they have really punished California,” he added.
“But, understandably, people who still haven’t seen their homes rebuilt, who were upset with how that was handled, they are upset with the incumbents,” the lawmaker said.
𝐑𝐎 𝐊𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐀 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐃 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐌𝐏 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐒 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐇 𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐌𝐏 𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐄
Congressman Ro Khanna, Democrat from California’s Silicon Valley district, on camera, on the… pic.twitter.com/fB8SQ9S9sa
— M.A. Rothman (@MichaelARothman) June 1, 2026
Do you think Democrats in California will hold their leaders accountable in upcoming elections?
The Palisades and Altadena wildfires both broke out on Jan. 7, 2025, exacerbated by the dry Santa Ana winds, Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV reported.
In the case of the Palisades Fire, response efforts were greatly hampered by a lack of water in the area due to a major reservoir being empty for many months for repair.
Around 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, a hydrant firefighters were using on Lachman Lane ran dry. You can hear what sounds like air pushing out, but no water. #PalisadesWildfire #PalisadeFire #PacificPalisades pic.twitter.com/09e6FRrcIM
— Matthew Seedorff (@MattSeedorff) January 8, 2025
Bass was in Africa attending the inauguration of the president of Ghana when the wildfires broke out.
Trump took office on Jan. 20, 2025, and days later traveled to Los Angeles to see how the recovery effort was going.
At the time, he voiced frustration with Bass over how slowly the recovery efforts were progressing, noting that residents were still not able to access their properties, and permits to rebuild were expected to take at least 18 months under state and local policies.
“You have emergency powers just like I do… You have to exercise them also,” Trump said.
President Trump slams LA Mayor Karen Bass to her face, calling out her mismanagement of the wildfires.
“You have emergency powers just like I do.”
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) January 25, 2025
Trump met with Bass and Republican Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger in April. The two officials stated afterward, “We had a very positive discussion about FEMA and other rebuilding funds as well as the support of the President to continue joining us in pressuring the insurance companies to pay what they owe — and for the big banks to step up to ease the financial pressure on L.A. families.”
Fox News reported that the January 2025 wildfires scorched more than 37,700 acres and destroyed over 16,200 structures in the Los Angeles area. Pratt lost his home in the Palisades fire.
Trump posted on Truth Social following his meeting with Bass and Barger, “I will be working with the Mayor, Supervisor, and everyone else to help this tragic situation go smoothly. In particular, I want to thank our Great EPA Administrator, Lee Zeldin, for the incredible speed with which he has already accomplished his very complex Environmental work.”
It was my Great Honor to meet with the Mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger (Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors), and the Supervisor’s Chief of Staff, Anna Mouradian, to discuss the progress made on the horrific fires that ravaged Los… pic.twitter.com/zVAjd3wG9G
— Commentary Donald J Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) April 23, 2026
According to media reports, Zeldin’s personal engagement with California state and local officials helped speed up the permitting process.
“We had been working with the administration ever since [Trump] sent EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin out to help us, and we’ve been working closely with him,” Bass told KNBC-TV. “Administrator Zeldin was a colleague of mine in the House of Representatives. We worked on very controversial issues together.”
Barger agreed, saying Zeldin’s involvement “was a game-changer.”
About 2,000 permits were approved by city and county agencies, Zeldin said in a social media post at the time. He further noted that the EPA removed hazardous materials from 13,000 properties.
The EPA leader also pointed out that the federal Small Business Administration has delivered $3.2 billion in disaster loans.
In December, California Gov. Gavin Newsom called for $33.9 billion in federal money for wildfire recovery and prevention, which includes the combined $16 billion that Los Angeles city and county are seeking.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
