“‘Watch Our State Burn!’: Firefighters Union Slams Trump for Threatening to ‘Toy With Their Lives’!”
Photo: AP/Evan Vucci
Donald Trump is facing fierce backlash from a California firefighters union three days after the ex-president threatened to withhold fire rescue aid from the state as the number of wildfires are expected to increase in the coming years, East Bay Times reports.
“As of today, thousands of firefighters are on the front lines responding to wildfires throughout the state, and countless Californians are in harm’s way as they heed evacuation orders,” California Professional Firefighters President Brian K. Rice wrote in a statement posted to X on Friday, September 13. The union, according to the report, “represents around 35,000 career firefighters and emergency medical service” professionals.
“Nevertheless, former President Trump expressed that he would play with their lives and their homes if he doesn’t get what he wants,” Rice continued. “He would rather watch our state burn in the name of his political games than send help if he were to become president again.”
Axios reports that Trump threatened during a Friday press conference to “withhold fire rescue aid from California” if the state’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom refused to back the MAGA leader’s policies.
East Bay Times notes the former president “repeatedly referred to Newsom as ‘Newscum'” during the presser.
“If he doesn’t sign those papers, we won’t give him money to put out all his fires,” the MAGA leader said, referring to the governor. “And if we don’t give him all the money to put out the fires, he’s got problems.”
In response to Trump’s comment, Axios reports that Newsom warned via X that the 2024 GOP nominee “admitted he will block emergency disaster funds to settle political vendettas.”
It wasn’t long before Rice shot back at Trump, writing, “It is shocking that we have a presidential candidate who is threatening our public safety and doesn’t even care what the consequences are to firefighters and the public. This has now become a serious public safety issue for our members and the public we serve.”
