Resurfaced video of Trump warning Gavin Newsom about forest fire management as residents demand resignation

President-elect Donald Trump had previously warned California Governor Gavin Newsom that he needed to better manage the state’s forests to prevent fires.

During a visit to The Golden State in November 2018, the then-president and the newly elected governor met following the devastating Camp Fire.

During his visit to Skyway Villa Mobile Home and RV Park in Paradise, California, Trump warned “you have to take care of the floors.”

Footage of their exchange has surfaced online amid calls for Newsom to resign as wildfires ravage parts of Los Angeles, amid complaints about fire hydrants without water and power lines left unturned.

In the 2018 clip, he says, “Get this all cleaned up and protected. You have to take care of the floors. The floors of the forest.

‘You look at other countries where they do it differently and it’s a completely different story. I was with the President of Finland and he spent a lot of time raking and cleaning.’

In 2021, Newsom signed a bill allocating more than $15 billion to combat wildfires, drought and other climate challenges facing California.

That climate package spent nearly $1 billion exclusively on helping prevent wildfires, after the two most devastating on record occurred within a year of each other.

The November 2018 Camp Fire burned more than 153,000 hectares and killed 85 people.

It came 11 months after the October 2017 Tubbs fire, which destroyed 5,636 buildings and killed 22 people in Napa and Sonoma County.

Fifteen of the state’s 20 most destructive wildfires have occurred since 2015, according to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Republicans at the time criticized the spending because it did not include money for water storage projects, such as building new reservoirs.

Brave firefighters are now battling to extinguish the fires that have engulfed the area and other parts of Southern California.

Newsom has said the state has deployed more than 1,400 firefighters to battle the blazes.

In a rare and urgent plea, the Los Angeles Fire Department asked all off-duty firefighters in the city to help.

Despite parts of his state going up in flames, Newsom still had time for a photo on Tuesday.

In response to the footage of him observing the fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, California residents have called for him to resign.

One wrote: “California needs real leadership. You have failed us and pushed us into oblivion and turned most of the counties in this state red.

“We’ll celebrate when you leave and I hope you resign tomorrow.”

Another commented: ‘We don’t feel any better knowing you’re here. Go away. Resign. You’re a failure. You’re not a leader.’

Someone also said, “Imagine being the most hated governor in the country and still pushing the boundaries of selfishness.

‘Have you seen the comments on this post? Take Trudeau’s cue and step down with an ounce of dignity. Californians deserve a fresh start.”

Thousands of people have desperately escaped from their burning homes through flames, high winds and clouds of smoke.

In the frantic rush for safety, roads became impassable in some areas after dozens of people abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot, some with suitcases.

The flames were pushed by Santa Ana winds, which reached 60 mph in some places on Tuesday before gusting to 80 mph on Wednesday morning.

Devastatingly, there will be no reprieve as meteorologist Peter Mullinax says winds will continue throughout Wednesday and Thursday.

Mullinax said: “Winds are expected to continue throughout the day and into Thursday, providing little relief.”

Officials also confirmed that two people died in the Eaton area fires; the cause of death remains unknown.

As the fires continue to rage and decimate areas, authorities have said there is ‘no way’ to control the blaze.

The latest update from the LA Fire Department warned that the situation remains “very dangerous” and wind speeds are “deteriorating.”