Staff Reports
California officials are taking aim at former President Donald Trump’s latest claim that the military swooped in to turn on the water supply, supposedly under “emergency powers.” The timing could not be more amusing, considering the troubles facing residents and firefighters in the Golden State due to disastrous wildfires in Los Angeles County. The governor might be looking for any lifeline to extinguish the fire—just not the military, thankfully.
In a characteristically bold move, Trump decided to share this far-fetched narrative on his TRUTH Social platform, exclaiming that the military had heroically arrived to restore the glorious water flow from the Pacific Northwest. While it’s easy to picture tanks rolling in with vital resources, it turns out that the “real story” is a little less dramatic—and a lot more bureaucratic. The state’s Department of Water Resources was forced to step in and clear the air by stating the obvious: no military intervention involved, folks. The pumps had merely been offline for maintenance—not exactly a covert operation.
Instead of an Rambo-style rescue, it appears that the federal government merely got around to restarting the water pumps after a minor service interruption. Clearly, it’s a strong case of over-dramatizing what could have been some light maintenance in the world of water management. That said, it’s tough to blame Trump for throwing a little red meat to his supporters, especially in a state where Democrats have been quite successful in turning environmental policies into a chess game that often leaves the people high and dry.
California department denies Trump's claim that military entered state to release water flow https://t.co/529oInrN6Y
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) January 28, 2025
Meanwhile, California’s Democratic leadership is doing its best to distance itself from Trump’s claims, focusing instead on an elaborate critique of his spelling (which is usually not necessary). Senator Mike McGuire took to social media to set the record straight, correcting not only Trump’s geography but the entire premise of military intervention. Apparently, the water from the Pacific Northwest does not magically flow to places like the Central Valley, but rather, the nature of water flow is dictated by science— that pesky detail that seems to escape some policymakers.
In a state already reeling from the fallout of disastrous environmental policies, the last thing Californians need is a fabricated story about military invasions and emergency powers. Although Trump might delight in stirring the pot, California officials are left to handle the aftermath of wildfires, water management, and a whole host of other issues—all without needing tanks parked on their front lawns. For those in California who need water, the state insists that supplies remain plentiful in the south. Sounds reassuring, yet one can’t shake the feeling that something is still being lost in translation.
