President Donald Trump has threatened to withhold federal disaster aid for wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles unless California leaders change the state’s approach on its management of water.
In a Fox News interview, Mr Trump repeated false claims that the state’s fish conservation efforts in the northern part of the state are responsible for fire hydrants running dry in urban areas.
He says the blame for Los Angeles’ struggles to tame some of the deadly fires lies with Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, a political foe who has called for partnership and mutual respect as the state fights the blazes.
“I don’t think we should give California anything until they let the water run down,” Mr Trump said.
Local officials have said the conservation efforts for the delta smelt had nothing to do with the hydrants running dry as firefighters tried to contain flames around Los Angeles. They cited limited municipal systems, which are not designed to battle such massive blazes.
Mr Trump made the threat as he prepares for the first presidential trip of his second term.
On Friday, he will visit Southern California in addition to western North Carolina, which is recovering after Hurricane Helene hit the area more than three months ago.
In the interview, the president also called for reform of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, claiming it is “getting in the way of everything”.
“I’d rather see the states take care of their own problems,” he said. He did not elaborate on his proposed reforms, only saying that the agency is “going to be a whole big discussion very shortly”.
In other developments for the new administration, Mr Trump met with a small contingent of the most politically endangered House Republicans as the party struggles to agree on a strategy for implementing the tax cuts and other priorities that it promised voters.
The meeting happened as Mr Trump tried to advance other priorities during the first week of his second term.
Roughly 160 aides at the National Security Council were sent home while it is determined whether they align with his agenda, while the Pentagon has started deploying 1,500 active-duty troops to support border security efforts.
“The American people have been waiting for such a time as this,” said Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary.
Stephen Miller, a top Trump adviser, met Senate Republicans to update them on plans for deportations and reinstating Title 42, a policy that was put in place during the coronavirus pandemic to stop border crossings.
Although Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress, they have only thin majorities on Capitol Hill and there are disagreements on how to move forward with many issues on the table.
Mr Trump’s meeting unfolded amid a series of private “listening sessions” with House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose ability to unite his conference will be sorely tested in the weeks and months ahead.
Mr Trump has held his own dinners with Republican politicians at Mar-a-Lago and he is preparing to address them next week at their private retreat in Doral, Florida, where the president owns a resort.
“We’re working very closely in close co-ordination with the White House because this is an America First agenda that takes both of those branches of government to work in tandem,” Mr Johnson said on Wednesday at a news conference.
Mr Trump on Wednesday also announced his picks for US Secret Service director and European Union ambassador.
He is nominating former fast food executive Andrew Puzder to serve as his EU envoy and Secret Service veteran Sean Curran as his pick to head the US Secret Service.
Mr Puzder, a former chief executive of CKE Restaurants, was nominated by Mr Trump to serve as labour secretary early in his first term, but abruptly withdrew his nomination after Senate Republicans balked at supporting him, in part over taxes he belatedly paid on a former housekeeper not authorised to work in the US. Mr Puzder did not pay taxes on the housekeeper until after Mr Trump nominated him to the Cabinet post and five years after he had fired the worker.
Mr Curran was among the agents who rushed to Mr Trump’s aid after he was shot in the ear in a failed assassination attempt at a July campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. He served as the assistant special agent in charge of the presidential protective division during the president’s first term.
In a posting on Truth Social, Mr Trump praised Mr Curran for his “fearless courage” during the Pennsylvania assassination attempt.
“Sean has distinguished himself as a brilliant leader, who is capable of directing and leading operational security plans for some of the most complex Special Security Events in the History of our Country, and the World,” Mr Trump said.
Mr Trump’s three nominees to lead energy and environmental agencies — and carry out his strategy for “energy dominance” — cleared Senate committees on Thursday.
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee advanced former New York congressman Lee Zeldin to head the Environmental Protection Agency, while the Senate Energy and Natural Resources panel backed formed North Dakota governor Doug Burgum to lead the Interior Department and business executive Chris Wright to be Energy secretary.
The nominations now head to the full Senate, where all three men are expected to be confirmed.
In the Fox News interview, Mr Trump also suggested he would like to see investigations into former president Joe Biden.
Mr Trump is the first president to be convicted of a felony — in a case relating to business records of hush money payments — and had faced criminal charges over his role in trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
“It’s really hard to say that they shouldn’t have to go through it also,” he said.
Mr Trump has also revoked government security protection for former secretary of state Mike Pompeo and his top aide Brian Hook, who have faced threats from Iran ever since they took hardline stances on the Islamic Republic during Mr Trump’s first administration.
A congressional staffer and a person familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss personal security details, confirmed the change, but neither could offer an explanation. They said Mr Pompeo and Mr Hook were told of the loss of protection on Wednesday and that it took effect at 11pm that night.
It is another sign of steps Mr Trump is taking just days into his return to the White House to target those he has perceived as adversaries.
A day earlier, he revoked the security clearance and Secret Service protection from John Bolton, who was sacked as Mr Trump’s national security adviser during his first term. Mr Bolton, who has been targeted for assassination by Iran, said in a statement that he was disappointed but not surprised by the decision.
Mr Trump also revoked security clearances for dozens of former intelligence officials who signed a 2020 letter saying the Hunter Biden laptop saga bore the hallmarks of a “Russian information operation”.
On Thursday, two Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, broke ranks to oppose confirming Pete Hegseth to lead the Pentagon as defence secretary, becoming the first Republicans to oppose one of Mr Trump’s Cabinet picks.
The former combat veteran and Fox News host faces allegations of excessive drinking and aggressive actions toward women, which he has denied. A final confirmation vote is expected on Friday.
