President Donald Trump found himself in a tense clash with Democratic leaders over the response to the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. As the fires continued to wreak havoc across the state, Trump and local officials exchanged sharp criticisms over the cause and management of the crisis, with the president accusing Democrats of mismanaging the situation. At the same time, they, in turn, criticized his handling of federal assistance. The back-and-forth highlights the ongoing partisan divide over climate policy, disaster response, and government accountability, with both sides digging in as the disaster unfolds.
On Friday, Trump shot down Democrat Rep. Brad Sherman (CA) after he attempted to defend the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) response to the devastating wildfires. The president accused insurers of being made impossible by "people that think like you" and pointed out that many are reluctant to operate in California. He added that he had never seen a state where almost nobody had insurance.
JUST IN: President Trump completely shuts up Democrat congressman Brad Sherman after he tried defending FEMA, gets a loud round of applause.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 25, 2025
Sherman: "If I could just defend FEMA for a little bit."
Trump: "Yea..."
Sherman: *Rambles about FEMA*
Trump: "The problem with FEMA is… pic.twitter.com/XvtE3T0u20
“And I said, 'What happened?' and they said, 'Like six months ago they all left,' and two years ago they had different quadrants, but they left. And you have very little insurance here. I've never seen anything like it,” the president continued.
Trump pointed out that Sherman lost his insurance companies about six months ago because the state failed to provide what they needed.
Trump’s comments come after he toured the state and saw the destructive damage that had been done to a once-beautiful state. He touted eliminating FEMA, marking the latest indication that Trump is considering significant reforms to the nation's primary agency for handling disasters. He also highlighted that it wasn’t FEMA that assisted North Carolina after the catastrophic hurricanes, but rather other states.
Sherman tried to defend FEMA's response but ultimately failed to offer any meaningful solutions or real progress.
"The problem with FEMA is they come from all over the country. They end up in arguments with your people from California because they wanna do it a totally different way." Trump interjected. "You haven't gotten very much done with FEMA because all you have to do is look at North Carolina. It's one of the great disasters of all time."
TRUMP: Every insurance company in the country left California. That's why you have no insurance. People that think like you made it so impossible.
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 25, 2025
BRAD SHERMAN: People that think like me? Mr President, I don't know what you know about my thinking. pic.twitter.com/hdP7Wl2LCa