Trump compared the devastation caused by wildfires in Los Angeles, California to a nuclear attack and warned that the death toll could continue to rise in the coming days.
He criticized California leadership, particularly Governor Gavin Newsom, claiming that poor management had exacerbated the crisis.
The wildfires, which began last week in Southern California, have left at least 24 people dead, burned over 16,000 hectares, and destroyed more than 12,000 buildings, wreaking havoc on entire neighborhoods.
Los Angeles Police Chief Robert Luna reported that the Eaton fire had killed 16 people, while the Palisades fire claimed 8 lives, with 16 people still missing.
Authorities predict the death toll will increase as rescue teams, along with search dogs, continue to search through the rubble.
In an interview with Newsmax, Trump predicted that rescue teams would discover “more dead people” and expressed astonishment at the scale of the destruction.
“I believe the level of damage is even greater than if they were attacked with a nuclear weapon. I’ve never seen anything like it. Miles and miles of homes burned to ashes. Nothing is standing,” Trump told the channel.
He also mentioned that he had seen “classified photos” of the devastation, asserting that the disaster was “worse than what you see on TV, if that can be believed.”
The president-elect continued to blame California leadership for the scale of the tragedy, claiming that the crisis could have been prevented if water from Canada had been allowed to flow into the state and if the forests had been properly managed.
Trump specifically accused Governor Newsom of prioritizing environmental policies over human lives and called for his resignation.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump appears to be considering a personal visit to Southern California to survey the damage caused by the wildfires.
In an interview with Newsmax, the president-elect also expressed interest in participating in the reconstruction efforts for the region.
Governor Newsom has declared a state of emergency in the affected areas and called for additional federal support to address the fires.
Outgoing President Joe Biden has also approved a large-scale disaster declaration, allowing federal resources to be allocated for response and recovery efforts.
According to the latest estimates from AccuWeather, the wildfires have caused damage ranging from $250 billion to $275 billion, including property damage, firefighting costs, and disruptions to economic activities.