California Gov Gavin Newsom ripped for Palisades fire 'photo op' with hands in his back pockets

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: California Governor Gavin Newsom is catching some serious heat—both literally and figuratively.

As wildfires ravage Los Angeles, the Democrat has sparked outrage over a video he shared from his visit to Pacific Palisades, with many accusing him of turning a tragic situation into a PR opportunity.

Outrage as Gavin Newsom shares video from Palisades fire scene with hands in his back pockets

On Tuesday, January 7, Gavin Newsom shared the footage from Pacific Palisades, where the infernos have already claimed two lives and left several injured, writing, "On the ground in Pacific Palisades and getting briefed," as per the Daily Mail. However, the post majorly backfired.

The popular Breaking911 account on X (formerly Twitter) reposted the video with the caption: "JUST IN: California Gov. Gavin Newsom has showed up to the scene of the Palisades fire to put his hands in his back pockets."

Many others on the social media platform raged at the governor.

One wrote, "A Photo Op to make it look like he cares that others are suffering. No one’s fooled," and another snarked, "That's how people look at new real estate."

"What great optics," read a comment. "The people need action, not a photo op. Time to stop posing and actually lead," someone else fumed.

"The guy should stay clear and let the heroes do their jobs. this does not call for the presence of a clown," an individual added.

President-elect Donald Trump also entered the fray with a blistering Truth Social post on Wednesday, accusing Newsom of prioritizing a tiny fish over Californians.

"Governor Gavin Newscum 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," the 78-year-old ranted.

"He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but didn’t care about the people of California. Now the ultimate price is being paid." claimed Trump. 

The MAGA spearhead declared, "I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is the blame for this. On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, not firefighting planes. A true disaster!"

Gavin Newsom's forest management record goes up in flames

The wildfires tearing through LA have revived scrutiny of Gavin Newsom’s track record on forest management. Critics have long accused him of neglecting land management policies, leading to what some have called an “apocalyptic hellscape.”

Investigations by CapRadio and NPR's California Newsroom have exposed glaring failures in Newsom’s wildfire prevention promises. Back in 2019, he signed an executive order to revamp the state’s wildfire strategy. He claimed these efforts resulted in fire prevention work across 90,000 acres.

However, state data showed that the actual figure was just 11,399 acres. That’s a jaw-dropping 690% overstatement.

And it gets worse. The investigation found that while Newsom initially increased efforts to remove burnable fuel, these efforts dropped by half in 2020. Adding insult to injury, Newsom slashed $150 million from Cal Fire’s wildfire prevention budget.

Californians feel betrayed by Gavin Newsom

For Californians like Mitch Mackenzie who lost his home in the 2017 Tubbs Fire, Gavin Newsom’s actions feel like a betrayal.

Mackenzie lamented in his interview with CapRadio, "It’s a deception. With all the fire danger we’ve experienced year after year… you’d think it would be a higher priority to make sure this area is treated as much as possible."

Breanna Morello, a conservative commentator, summed up her frustration by commenting on the now-viral image of Newsom observing burning homes with his hands in his back pockets.

"Admiring all his hard work after intentionally neglecting forest management," she wrote, sharing a still from the video shared by Newsom. 

Morello also accused Newsom of focusing too much on a "globalist climate change agenda" instead of addressing California’s immediate wildfire needs. She wasn’t alone in her critique— residents across the state have expressed anger over unfulfilled promises, like emergency access roads that could have helped save lives in these deadly fires.

Considering Newsom has his eyes reportedly set on a potential 2028 presidential run, these accusations of inaction, mismanagement, and photo-ops couldn’t come at a worse time.

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