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California Gov. Gavin Newsom has invited President-elect Donald Trump to survey the damage from the Los Angeles wildfires personally and to meet with victims as the incoming president continues to cast blame on Newsom and other Democrats.
In a letter to Trump posted to social media on Friday, Newsom noted their joint 2018 tour of the ruins of the Camp and Woolsey fires. “As you prepare to assume the presidency once more, I invite you to come to California again — to meet with the Americans affected by these fires, see the devastation firsthand, and join me and others in thanking the heroic firefighters and first responders who are putting their lives on the line,” Newsom wrote.
“In the spirit of this great country, we must not politicize human tragedy or spread disinformation from the sidelines,” he added.
Trump has seized on the deadly wildfires to attack Newsom, one of his longtime Democratic targets. He has made false accusations against the governor over California’s water management and attributed the fires to Democratic “incompetence.”
Newsom in turn has bristled at Trump’s remarks at a time when his state is in the midst of a dire crisis.
“People are literally fleeing. People have lost their lives. Kids lost their schools. Families completely torn asunder. Churches burned down,” Newsom told CNN on air Wednesday as structures burned behind him. “This guy wanted to politicize it. I have a lot of thoughts, and I know what I want to say. I won’t.”
As of Saturday, at least 11 people are confirmed dead from the fires, and some of the largest blazes are still burning even as adverse weather conditions over the weekend threaten to spread the fires further.