DeSantis at Mar-a-Lago: 'If Newsom Was a Republican, You Would Have Him Nailed to the Wall' (January 9, 2025)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had just finished dinner with President-elect Donald Trump and the nation’s other Republican governors at Mar-a-Lago when a reporter asked whether it was appropriate for Trump to criticize California Gov. Gavin Newsom over the Los Angeles wildfires. DeSantis stepped forward with his own question, according to Fox News [1].

“Is it appropriate for people in your industry to try to create division and to try to create narratives any time these things happen?” DeSantis asked [1].

“Now, you’re not as interested in doing that because Newsom is a D. If Newsom was a Republican, you guys would go try… you would have him nailed to the wall for what they’re doing over there,” he continued [1].

The video above shows the exchange on the evening of Jan. 9, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida. Quotes are as reported by Fox News [1][2].

”Your Track Record of Politicizing These Things”

DeSantis has led Florida through several disasters, and he said the press has blamed him before the facts came out, pointing to the 2021 Surfside condominium collapse, Fox reported. “I think your track record of politicizing these things is very, very bad,” DeSantis told the reporters [1].

”I Don’t See a Lot of Heat”

He turned to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and her trip to Ghana. If she were a Republican, DeSantis said, she would be treated much differently, Fox reported [1].

“You should have been there preparing and doing that, and yet I don’t see a lot of heat being directed [toward her],” DeSantis said. “I’d like to see some balance on how this is done. You can criticize the president-elect, but you also have to hold these other people accountable, and I have not seen that.” [1]

Bass got back to Los Angeles the day before. Sky News reporter David Blevins asked her, “No apology to them? Do you think you should have been visiting Ghana while this was unfolding back home?” She kept looking at the ground, Fox reported [1].

“Madam mayor, let me ask you just again, have you anything to say to the citizens today as you return?” Blevins asked [1].

”Gross Incompetence”

Trump had gone after both Democrats. In a Truth Social post quoted by Fox News, he wrote: “Fire is spreading rapidly for 3 days – ZERO CONTAINMENT. Nobody has ever seen such failed numbers before! Gross incompetence by Gavin Newscum and Karen Bass…. And Biden’s FEMA has no money – all wasted on the Green New Scam! L.A. is a total wipeout!!!” [2]

“The Pot Calling the Kettle Black”

The next morning, DeSantis doubled down on “Fox & Friends.” “I’m fine to say, ‘Just don’t politicize it at all.’ But I think the media – it’s like the pot calling the kettle black when they’re attacking Donald Trump, when they’re the ones that are always the lead in these instances,” he told host Lawrence Jones [2].

“You know, they were trying to pin this on Donald Trump and they were going after Donald Trump’s comments. And I’m just thinking to myself, I’ve seen how these people in the press react to when these things happen in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said [2].

He pointed to Florida’s own record. “I remember when we had Hurricane Ian – Category 5 monster storm – hit southwest Florida. All they were looking for were things to do negative. And the reality was the state was prepared. We had an overwhelming response,” DeSantis said [2].

Florida offered help to California anyway. “Well, we immediately offered assistance,” DeSantis said, adding that the Florida Division of Emergency Management was “in contact with California’s Emergency Management Agency” [2].

By the Numbers

10: lives the fires had claimed as of the night of the exchange, per Fox [1].
35,800+: acres burned by then [1].
6% and 0%: containment of the Palisades and Eaton fires that evening, per CAL FIRE data cited by Fox [1].
$17 million: the LAFD budget cut Fox said residents criticized Bass for [1].
28: deaths cited in Trump’s executive order 15 days later [3].

What Happened Next

Trump took action. On Jan. 24, 2025, Trump signed Executive Order 14181. “Almost immediately, firefighters were unable to fight the blaze due to dry hydrants, empty reservoirs, and inadequate water infrastructure,” the order says. It set the policy “to provide Southern California with necessary water resources, notwithstanding actively harmful State or local policies” [3].

Newsom met him on the tarmac. That afternoon, Trump landed at Los Angeles International Airport. “Most importantly, thank you for being here,” Newsom told him. “You were there for us during COVID. I don’t forget that.” [4]

“They’re going to need a lot of Federal help—unless you don’t need any, which would be okay,” Trump said. “We’re going to need a lot of Federal help,” Newsom replied [4].

Trump promised to stand behind the victims. At a briefing in Los Angeles that day, Trump said the homeowners he met “want to rebuild.” “I said, ‘Will you go elsewhere?’ ‘No, no, no, no.’ It wasn’t even, like, a question,” he said. “The Federal Government is standing behind you 100 percent.” [5]

For Trump at Jimmy Carter’s funeral in Washington earlier on the day of the exchange, see HYGO News’ page on the funeral.