Mary Trump, the niece and frequent critic of Donald Trump, has condemned the president-elect’s handling of crises amid the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires.

Newsweek has reached out to Trump’s transition team for comment via email.

Why It Matters

Mary Trump has suggested that her uncle is ill-suited to handle presidential responsibilities, particularly during natural disasters, citing examples from his first term in office. He will take the oath of office in Washington, D.C., on January 20, and the wildfires are still raging.

What To Know

In her blog, Mary Trump accused the president-elect of being “terrible” in a crisis while pointing to the Los Angeles wildfires, which have left at least 16 people dead and destroyed thousands of properties. She said Trump is using the wildfires as an excuse to attack Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Trump claimed that Newsom refused to sign a “water restoration declaration” that would have allowed millions of gallons of water from excess rain and snow to flow into California. Newsom and other officials have stated that no such declaration exists. Most water used in Los Angeles does not come from Northern California but rather from local aqueducts and groundwater. Moreover, the fire severity was compounded by high winds and smoke, not water shortages.

Mary Trump described her uncle’s dissemination of false claims during the wildfires as another instance of his “long, sordid history of making things worse” in crises. She referenced his response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017, during which he was criticized for tossing rolls of paper towels into a crowd at Calvary Chapel in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. His administration faced backlash for its delayed response to the disaster.

“The federal response has been very slow and uncoordinated,” Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.), a ranking member of the subcommittee on maritime transportation, told Newsweek of efforts to get aid to the island.

Mary Trump highlighted Trump’s actions during Hurricane Dorian in 2019, when he incorrectly claimed Alabama would be hit by the storm. In a White House briefing, Trump displayed a map showing the hurricane’s path that appeared to have been altered with a marker to include Alabama.

Mary Trump also cited the Republican‘s initial downplaying of COVID-19 as another example of his poor crisis management.

What People Are Saying

Mary Trump wrote in her blog: “Donald is no longer an unknown quantity. After four years of his first administration, we are all too familiar with the sort of chaos he brings to already fraught situations. He has, in fact, a long, sordid history of making things worse.

“We’ve seen the real-world consequences of what happens when Donald is in charge during a crisis. He’s withheld disaster aid from states whose governors didn’t pay him sufficient obeisance; he’s diverted resources away from first responders; he’s repeatedly failed communities in crisis; and he’s often made recommendations based on pseudoscience that have made everything worse. (He actually recommended detonating a nuclear warhead in the eye of a hurricane in 2020.)

“What we can expect—because we’ve seen it time and time again—is this: If you need help in a crisis but you do not sufficiently kiss Donald’s a**, he will not help you. He will use the crisis to perpetuate misinformation and conspiracy theories, leading to greater loss of life. He will blame the victims. He will divide us against each other. That is the playbook.”

Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on January 8: “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 snowmelt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way.

“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.

“I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is to blame for this. On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, no firefighting planes. A true disaster!”

Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office responded on X, formerly Twitter:
“There is no such document as the water restoration declaration—that is pure fiction. The Governor is focused on protecting people, not playing politics, and making sure firefighters have all the resources they need.”

What Happens Next

Firefighters are continuing to battle the blazes tearing through Los Angeles.

The National Weather Service has extended the red-flag warning, indicating that warm temperatures and strong winds could increase fire danger across the Los Angeles area, through Wednesday evening.