Overview

• At a televised cabinet meeting on Tuesday, President Trump again asserted he forced California to “turn on the water” during January’s wildfires and said he “had to do it using force.”
• Gavin Newsom reposted the clip on X alongside a screenshot of a Grok exchange asking if people with dementia repeat false statements, and the chatbot answered yes with an explanation of related behaviors.
• The White House criticized Newsom’s post, saying he was trying to distract from his handling of California’s wildfires that Trump claims he helped “clean up.”
• California officials and fact-checkers have refuted Trump’s account, noting the military did not enter the state, federal pumps resumed after scheduled maintenance, and Los Angeles hydrant issues reflected extraordinary demand.
• The online clash is part of a broader confrontation that includes California’s June lawsuit over federal National Guard deployments and Newsom’s use of Trump-style messaging and parody merchandise.