Wildfires, fueled by strong winds, are destroying Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom is begging President Joe Biden to silence “hurricane-force winds of mis- and disinformation.”
“It breaks my heart as people are suffering and struggling that we’re up against those hurricane force, forces as well,” Newsom said on Friday in a video call with Biden. “I ask you, we’ve got to deal with this misinformation.”
Never mind the actual winds that swept wildfires from the perimeter of Los Angeles to destroy suburban neighborhoods. Still, Newsom expressed concern that “misinformation” could harm Californians.
“It infects real people that are out there,” Newsom told the president. “And they’re having conversations that are not the typical conversations you’d have at this time.”
Newsom apparently finds it unusual that people would discuss the possibility that government actions may have contributed to the spread of the wildfire when flames are engulfing their homes and livelihoods.
“You wonder where this stuff comes from, and it’s very damaging as well,” Newsom said. “But we’re here to get the job done.”
While Newsom aims to “get the job done” in relation to suppressing inconvenient speech, he has not done the job of keeping water flowing to fire hydrants. Or ensuring the Los Angeles Fire Department is properly staffed (amid the cutbacks and DEI efforts of Mayor Karen Bass). Or utilizing water from the California Delta (instead of flushing billions of gallons out to sea). He did just call for an “independent investigation,” even as the fires are still burning.
Former President Donald Trump says Newsom should be held responsible for his failure to release fresh water where needed.
“I’ve been trying to get Gavin Newsom to allow water to come. … They send it out to the Pacific because they’re trying to protect a tiny, little fish,” Trump said.
It seems instead of addressing these core problems, Newsom is trying to avoid responsibility for the disastrous fires spreading across Los Angeles. By rasking Biden — who is in command of CISA, the Department of Homeland Security’s online censorship hub — to squelch “misinformation,” Newsom might be seeking to reduce his poor publicity.
“People want to divide this country, and we’re going to have to address that as well,” Newsom said to Biden.
Biden has declared the California wildfires a “major disaster.” The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has granted funding for up to 75 percent of firefighting costs in the devastating fires in Southern California and is offering disaster assistance to fire victims.
Like Newsom, FEMA has also attacked “misinformation” to make up for its poor performance in the past. After Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the agency created a “hurricane rumor response” page to control the narrative. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell joined then Democrat North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper in “pleading with politicians and social media users to stop sharing misinformation about storm aid.”
At the time, legacy media framed concerns that FEMA was “an instrument of a tyrannical federal government” as “baseless stories.” But it turned out that while providing aid FEMA was dragging its feet and bypassing houses with Trump signs.
Logan Washburn is a staff writer covering election integrity. He is a spring 2025 fellow of The College Fix. He graduated from Hillsdale College, served as Christopher Rufo’s editorial assistant, and has bylines in The Wall Street Journal, The Tennessean, and The Daily Caller. Logan is from Central Oregon but now lives in rural Michigan.
Jesus Christ is King
