Eric Braeden calls Trump 'orange idiot' for criticizing Gavin Newsom despite losing home to LA wildfires
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Eric Braeden, best known for his role on 'The Young and The Restless', didn’t mince words about the California wildfires during an interview with CNN on Friday morning, January 10.
The 83-year-old soap star had plenty to say about the roaring blaze threatening his home—and even more to say about President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial response to the crisis.
Eric Braeden slams Donald Trump and the wildfires
The drama began on Thursday, January 9, when Eric Braeden shared a chilling video on Instagram. The clip showed flames creeping dangerously close to his beloved home of over 40 years.
“Well, we’re going to have to evacuate our house,” Braeden said in the video, as a wall of fire blazed in the background. “Okay, everyone, you see this beautiful area go up in flames. Unbelievable.”
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By the next morning, Braeden was live on CNN, speaking with Laura Coates about the harrowing experience. Admitting the fire “scared the living daylights” out of him, Braeden reflected on his decades in a state he deemed both beautiful and perilous.
“It’s the price we pay for living in this beautiful area,” he said. “California’s a fantastic state. It’s one of the most productive states in the nation—not according to the orange idiot who will take over on the 25th of January or whatever, but it is truly one of the most productive states ever in the United States.”
Braeden didn’t mince words when it came to Trump, though he stopped short of mentioning the former president by name.
He was then asked about the wildfires. “To be very frank with you, I think everyone is really trying to do their damn best, OK,” he replied. “And some idiot—the orange idiot—went on television ... and claimed all kinds of things about [California Governor Gavin] Newsom and California and the water distribution. All nonsense.”
Braeden’s comments come in response to Trump’s longstanding criticisms of Newsom, whom he has repeatedly blamed for the state’s wildfire issues. Trump even called for Newsom’s resignation.
“It’s very sad because I’ve been trying to get Gavin Newsom to allow water to come—you’d have tremendous water up there, they send it out from the Pacific—because they’re trying to protect a tiny little fish," Trump said on Wednesday. "For the sake of a smelt, they have no water… It’s a mistake of the governor, and you could say the administration.”
Fact vs fiction
Donald Trump’s statements were quickly dismissed by Gavin Newsom’s team as “pure fiction,” with a spokesperson accusing the president-elect of “playing politics.”
Newsom’s press office took to X (formerly Twitter) to clarify the situation, explaining that water distribution challenges were due to high demand and access issues caused by the fires—not a lack of supply.
"LADWP said that because of the high water demand, pump stations at lower elevations did not have enough pressure refill tanks at higher elevations, and the ongoing fire hampered the ability of crews to access the pumps," the office wrote.
“Broadly speaking, there is no water shortage in Southern California right now, despite Trump's claims that he would open some imaginary spigot,” they added.
LADWP said that because of the high water demand, pump stations at lower elevations did not have enough pressure refill tanks at higher elevations, and the ongoing fire hampered the ability of crews to access the pumps. To supplement, they used water tenders to supply water -- a…
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) January 9, 2025
Braeden, for his part, sided firmly with Newsom. He slammed Trump’s remarks as harmful rhetoric. “What some of these characters are now disseminating on one particular network and on some podcasts is outrageous and very damaging to our nation," the actor said.
Drawing on his past, Braeden painted a grim picture of where he fears this kind of rhetoric could lead. Growing up in post-WWII Germany, he said he witnessed firsthand the dangers of fascist ideology, the Daily Beast reported.
“This is a great nation, trust me, I know whereof I speak—I come from a nation that believed in fascist ideology for a while,” Braeden told CNN. “And we certainly will not want to go into that again. But we are close to it because people want to simplify complex problems. The essence of fascism is to simplify complex problems and feed people who don’t have time to read some bullsh**t," he added.
