DeSantis urges media to hold California Democrats responsible for wildfires: "No action yet"

On Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized a reporter for not assigning enough blame to California leaders for the wildfires, in contrast to how Republican leaders are typically held accountable for disasters.

On Thursday evening, after finishing a dinner with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, DeSantis and other Republican governors engaged in a heated exchange with a reporter.

The reporter seemed to be querying another governor about the suitability of Trump attacking Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom as deadly wildfires ravaged the state.

DeSantis posed the question, "Is it suitable for individuals in your field to attempt to divide and create narratives regarding such occurrences?"

"Now, you're not as interested in doing that because Newsom is a Democrat. If Newsom was a Republican, you guys would go try to impeach him for what they're doing over there," he continued.

During his time as Florida governor, he has faced criticism for things beyond his control and has been accused of wrongdoing before all the facts were known, as seen in the 2021 Surfside condominium collapse.

DeSantis stated that politicizing these things is very, very bad according to his opinion.

If he were a Republican, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass's trip to Ghana would be treated much differently while the fires were at high risk.

"DeSantis stated that he believes there should have been more heat directed towards the president-elect's opponents, as he saw a lack of balance in the criticism. He emphasized the importance of holding all individuals accountable, including those who criticize the president-elect."

On Wednesday, Bass returned to Los Angeles and was unresponsive to the city's residents except during news conferences. While waiting to disembark, she ignored Sky News reporter David Blevins' inquiry about the fires.

Did you think it was appropriate to be in Ghana during that time while this was happening back home? Blevins questioned Bass as he remained fixated on the ground.

"Mayor, do you have any words to share with the citizens as you return?" he inquired.

In Los Angeles County, California, residents have criticized both Newsom and Bass for their past decisions related to fire-prevention efforts, particularly Bass' decision to cut the LAFD budget by $17 million.

At least 10 lives have been lost due to the wildfires that began on Tuesday and have burned over 35,800 acres, leaving thousands of homes and businesses destroyed.

On Thursday evening, the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, the two largest of the group, were still being fought by firefighters, with the Palisades Fire at 6% contained and the Eaton Fire at 0% contained, according to CAL FIRE data.