Following an Oval Office address where President Donald Trump confirmed he’s alive and well, California Governor Gavin Newsom continued his assault on Trump and his policies. Newsom shared a clip of Trump, who again told the press that they could have averted the January 2025 L.A. wildfires if Newsom had allowed water into California from the Pacific Northwest.
Along with the footage, Newsom shared what appears to be an AI definition of dementia, prompted by Newsom’s question, “Do people with dementia repeat the same falsehoods and crazy conspiracies over and over again?” The answer confirms dementia symptoms can include repeating the same “false or mistaken beliefs.”
In his post, Newsom suggests though Trump is not sick or dead, as unconfirmed theories suggested, while the president kept an unusually low profile over the Labor Day weekend, his mental health could be in decline.
Trump’s claims debunked
gavin how could you not *checks notes* allow the water to come from the pacific northwest?! if you had simply just done that, there would be no fire because *checks notes again* all the sprinklers would've worked in the houses.
— Katie ⸆⸉ | showgirl(@ktfromthevault) September 3, 2025
President Trump’s suggestion that California diverts water from the Pacific Northwest into the ocean or that a single “valve” could redirect massive amounts of water is entirely unfounded. Experts, including those at the Association of California Water Agencies and university researchers, state clearly that water supply has not been a barrier to firefighting efforts in Southern California, where most reservoirs were at or above average levels in January 2025.
One reservoir, the Santa Ynez Reservoir, which supplies water to Pacific Palisades, was empty at the time Palisades Fire. After crews discovered a tear in its protective cover, they drained the reservoir in February 2024. L.A. officials said they delayed repairs and replacement of the cover, which left the reservoir offline during the wildfire.
This meant hydrants in the Palisades area couldn’t draw on their usual emergency supply, forcing firefighters to truck in water and rely on limited neighborhood storage tanks.
This empty reservoir, combined with extreme winds and drought-dried vegetation, played a major role in the firefighting difficulties, not any diversion of water into the ocean, as Trump suggests.
