The demand further politicized a fragile situation that has left Gov. Gavin Newsom scrambling to respond to the whims of the president — or even to speak with him at all — to secure billions of dollars from the federal government to help Los Angeles fight an ongoing firestorm and rebuild.

Trump has long portrayed California as a liberal bastion that puts environmentalism ahead of its residents. Most recently, he has taken aim at the endangered Delta smelt fish, which is protected by laws that Trump claims hinders the state’s ability to provide water to its residents or tamp down fires.

Trump says he’ll have Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley working on hurricane relief matters instead of using the Federal Emergency Management Agency

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he wanted to secure two things from a visit to California later in the day: voter identification laws and changes to water policy in the wake of massive wildfires.

Trump has repeatedly made unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud in California, both before and after his 2020 election loss.

The president threatened to condition federal funding on a voter ID law and water policy changes ahead of a trip to California.

President Donald Trump on Friday once again made it clear that he wants wildfire-ravaged California to bend to his demands if residents want to see any federal disaster aid. “I want two things: I want voter ID for the people of California.