‘Get To Work Helping Californians’: Johnson Slams Newsom After CA Gov Complains About Wildfire Aid

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) shamed California Governor Gavin Newsom after the governor posted a video attacking the Republican speaker over potential federal aid California may receive.

“Instead of making highly produced clap back videos with social media influencers, you should get to work helping Californians,” Johnson replied to Newsom on X. “You’re the leader of a state in crisis, and you should finally start acting like it.”

The comment came in reply to a video Newsom had posted in an attempt to embarrass Johnson and other congressional Republicans. GOP lawmakers have floated conditional aid for California to help cover the cost of recent wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes. The conditions would mandate some improvements to California wildfire preparedness, such as cleaning out dead brush in high-risk areas and building more water infrastructure.

“Never in California questioned whether or not we as taxpayers in the largest state in the Union should support the people of Louisiana at a time of emergency and need. We never conditioned it,” Newsom says in the video.

“A state with millions and millions of Trump supporters, Speaker Johnson and Mr. President-elect. Millions of your supporters are out here. They need your help. They need your empathy. They need your care, whatever compassion you can express as opposed to condemnation,” he says.

While Trump and Johnson have not condemned Californians over the deadly Los Angeles County fires, they have been critical of state and local officials for the failure to protect Los Angeles communities from the wildfires.

Trump said in a Truth Social post earlier this month that Newsom “refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way.”

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“He is the blame for this. On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, not firefighting planes. A true disaster!” Trump said.

Johnson was similarly critical of California leadership in comments this week.

“Obviously, there has been water resource management, forest management, mistakes, all sorts of problems, and it does come down to leadership, and it appears to us that state and local leaders were derelict in their duty, and in many respects,” Johnson said when talking about strings that may be attached to federal aid to California. “So, that’s something that has to be factored in.”

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