Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

California Bluntly Debunks Trump's Claim That The Military Just 'Turned On The Water' In CA

Donald Trump
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

After Donald Trump claimed he had to send the military into California to "turn on the water," the state's Department of Water Resources issued a blunt fact-check.

After President Donald Trump claimed he had to send the military into California to "turn on the water," the state's Department of Water Resources (DWR) issued a blunt fact-check.

Trump's post came after Southern California experienced its first significant storm of the season on Monday, bringing snow and heavy rain that helped extinguish wildfires but also triggered ash and mudflows across streets in the Los Angeles area.


The rain began on Saturday, following months of dry and gusty weather that had created hazardous fire conditions.

RELATED: Lara Trump Gets Swiftly Schooled After Doubting How Climate Change Could Cause L.A. Wildfires

Los Angeles County crews spent much of the previous week clearing vegetation, stabilizing slopes, and reinforcing roads in areas ravaged by the Palisades and Eaton fires. These fires, driven by powerful winds on January 7, had reduced entire neighborhoods to rubble and ash.

Amid all this, Trump made a post on Truth Social in which he claimed he'd ordered the military into California to get water flowing to fight the blazes:

"The United States Military just entered the Great State of California and, under Emergency Powers, TURNED ON THE WATER flowing abundantly from the Pacific Northwest, and beyond."
"The days of putting a Fake Environmental argument, over the PEOPLE, are OVER. Enjoy the water, California!!!"

You can see his post below.

Screenshot of Donald Trump's post@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social

Unsurprisingly, Trump's statements betray his lack of understanding of the issues surrounding Los Angeles' water supply.

The devastating wildfires, fueled by powerful winds and bone-dry conditions, broke out following an exceptionally dry period—Los Angeles received just 0.8 mm of rain from July 1 to January. During one of the state’s hottest summers on record, vegetation that had flourished during a previous period of intense rainfall dried out, creating ample fuel for the fires.

Scientists argue that the unprecedented winter fires highlight how extreme climate fluctuations, or “whiplash” conditions, are intensifying the likelihood of fires and other disasters. Moreover, Governor Gavin Newsom and other Democrats have consistently argued that California’s wildfires are exacerbated by climate change and global warming.

Some experts contend that even the most well-equipped fire agencies would have struggled greatly to control the blazes in such a perfect storm of conditions.

State and local officials have faced scrutiny regarding their preparedness for the fires, especially after hydrants ran dry due to local systems being stretched to their limits.

Trump's words soon caught the attention of California's Department of Water Resources, which fact-checked him immediately in the following post noting that the military had never entered California as Trump falsely claimed:

"The military did not enter California. The federal government restarted federal water pumps after they were offline for maintenance for three days. State water supplies in Southern California remain plentiful."

You can see it below.

This was confirmed by none other than Fox News:

Trump was swiftly called out for blatantly lying.


I mean, it rained a little bit in Southern California today. Is he taking credit for that now too?
— Diane Brown (@dgbrown999.bsky.social) January 27, 2025 at 11:32 PM


So the military turned on the faucet from the Pacific Northwest, because that is uphill from California. That's the only explanation I can think of for why he believes this stupid thing.
— MizzouDoc (@mizzoudoc.bsky.social) January 27, 2025 at 11:55 PM


Well, it rained this weekend in California for the first time in seven months. Did Donald think he ordered the military to turn the clouds on?
— Ody (@odeecs.bsky.social) January 27, 2025 at 11:52 PM


This moron has a profound mental illness. What the hell were slightly less than half of us thinking?
— Dennis Lowe (@dennislowe.bsky.social) January 28, 2025 at 7:25 AM


Do you think someone just staged a photo-op in front of a random faucet and told him the water was on just to get him to shut up? Lol Or is he taking credit for the rain. My head hurts and it’s week 2.
— hriemer15.bsky.social (@hriemer15.bsky.social) January 27, 2025 at 11:34 PM

Trump posted his lie a day after he issued an executive order directing a half-dozen federal agencies, including the Defense Department and the Department of Homeland Security, to develop plans for increasing water deliveries to Southern California and the Central Valley. The order specifically referenced the wildfires in Los Angeles, which Trump toured on Friday.

In the order, Trump criticized California’s “disastrous” policies and alleged water “mismanagement,” directing federal agencies to discard a plan adopted by the Biden administration last month. The plan had established new rules for operating the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project, two of California’s primary water delivery systems serving the Central Valley.

Earlier, he suggested conditioning disaster aid for Los Angeles on tightening voter requirements and increasing water transfers from Northern California to the drier southern regions.

More from News/political-news

Kid Rock
Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

Kid Rock Dragged After Donning A Truly Over-The-Top Outfit For His White House Visit

Singer Kid Rock was slammed for wearing a loud patriotic costume inside the Oval Office as Republican President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday against ticket scalping.

The rocker's outfit consisted of a red, white, and blue jacket emblazoned with two eagles facing each other above the American flag with the number 250, a nod to America's upcoming 250th anniversary, and white stars on his sleeves.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Bill Cassidy
CNBC

MAGA Senator Just Said The Quiet Part Out Loud With Epic Freudian Slip About Medicare

Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy was widely mocked following his inconvenient slip of the tongue during a CNBC interview as he mused about finding ways to "cut" Medicare before quickly correcting himself.

The exchange occurred after host Rebecca Quick pressed Louisiana Republican and former physician Bill Cassidy on how his party intended to fund the “trillion-dollar tax cuts” sought by President Donald Trump.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Tim Sheehy
CNN

GOP Senator Gets Blunt Reality Check After Comparing Trump Tariff 'Pain' To Home Renovation

Montana Republican Senator Tim Sheehy was criticized after he tried to compare the "short-term pain" of President Donald Trump's tariffs to home renovation, a claim so ridiculous that CNN's Kaitlan Collins quickly pushed back on the analogy.

Trump has repeatedly referred to April 2 as “Liberation Day,” pledging to impose tariffs—taxes on imports—to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign goods. He has framed these tariffs as “reciprocal,” aiming to match the duties other nations place on American exports.

Keep ReadingShow less
Susan Crawford; Elon Musk
Scott Olson/Getty Images (left and right)

Liberal Wisconsin Judge Calls Out Elon Musk In Victory Speech—And It's Everything

Liberal judge Susan Crawford called out billionaire Elon Musk in her victory speech after winning a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, basking in successfully beating her Republican opponent Brad Schimel and ensuring that the nonpartisan court’s narrow 4-3 liberal majority remains intact despite Musk's efforts to sway the race.

Musk fueled the high-stakes race, having poured more than $20 million into supporting Schimel, according to state campaign records. That includes $3 million to the state Republican Party—$2 million of which was donated just last week. Due to state election laws, large contributions must be funneled through political parties before reaching candidates.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Describe The Worst 'Bonus' They've Ever Gotten At Work

Most of us have worked at one problematic workplace, with reasons ranging from toxic coworkers to terrible bosses to unlivable pay. Sometimes, it feels like a joke that the employees are even being paid at all!

But the biggest joke of all might be the end-of-year bonus, or lack thereof. They're at times so laughable, they take the cake for horrible work conditions, or are quite literally, a slice of cake.

Keep ReadingShow less