In his first term as POTUS, Trump lied at least 30,000 times, so we know what’s coming. Fact Check will focus on the most dangerous ones and include messaging to fight back.
Trump’s lies add fuel to the California wildfires
The LA wildfires are a climate emergency that is hurting everyone. But rather than look for solutions, Trump is attacking Biden and the Democratic governor of California with outrageous lies, while the GOP is threatening to withhold federal funding.
- Trump claimed Biden is leaving no money in FEMA. Not true, there is $27 billion in FEMA.
- Trump blamed Governor Newsom for the wildfires, claiming that Newsom “refused to sign the water restoration declaration that would have allowed millions of gallons of water to flow daily into many parts of California.” Not true, there is no such document, it’s totally made up.
- Trump said there is no water in the hydrants because of habitat protection of fish. This is also false, there is not a water shortage in SoCal, the reservoirs are at normal levels.
- Many Republicans in Congress say that disaster relief funds to California should come with conditions.
- Read more on Gavin Newsom’s fire fact page.
Trump’s lies are a distraction from the problem. According to The Guardian, Trump represents a danger to how the US will approach climate disasters. We need leadership, not someone who spreads lies and blames Dems to fuel division. Thousands of families have lost everything, firefighters are risking their lives, insurance companies have been pulling out of California, and neighboring countries are coming to our aid more than the incoming POTUS seems willing to do.
Message: Instead of Trump blaming the California governor for the fires, he should act like a leader and work alongside the Governor to help the American people.
Sources: The Guardian, CNN, LA Times, Gavin Newsom, NPR
Update:
Trump’s lies add fuel to the California wildfires
Trump continued to mislead the public, saying he ordered California to “turn on the water.” Unfortunately his executive actions will do nothing to help wildfires in SoCal. Instead they will “drain freshwater from… a 1,000-square-mile estuary that provides drinking water to millions of people, irrigates the surrounding farmland, and sustains a salmon fishing industry” and the water will go not to LA, but to the Central Valley where megafarms stand to profit. Read more here and here.
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