Earlier this month, California Governor Gavin Newsom publicly reached out to President Donald Trump, seeking assistance for the state’s wildfire recovery efforts as Los Angeles prepares to host the 2028 Olympics. Newsom acknowledged Trump’s role in securing the Olympic Games for the city and emphasized that this could be an opportunity for Trump to showcase his leadership. However, Trump’s recent claims regarding California’s water supply have raised eyebrows and sparked controversy. These claims have been quickly dismissed as false by state officials, who have made it clear that they won’t allow misinformation to cloud the reality of the situation.
The issue began when Governor Newsom thanked President Trump for his help in bringing the 2028 Olympics to Los Angeles, describing it as “an opportunity for him to shine.” Newsom added, “President Donald Trump was helpful in getting the Olympics to the United States of America — to get it down here in LA. We thank him for that. This is an opportunity for him to shine, for this country to shine, for California and this community to shine.” He went on to highlight the work California is doing to rebuild and reimagine Los Angeles, saying that a team is already in place to create a “LA 2.0” to ensure the success of the Olympics and the state’s long-term recovery.
Despite this recognition, President Trump has continued to spread misinformation, particularly regarding California’s water management. During a recent appearance on Fox News with Sean Hannity, Trump claimed that California was deliberately preventing water from Northern California from reaching Los Angeles. This claim, he said, was contributing to the state’s crisis and ongoing wildfire recovery struggles.
Trump stated, “Look, Gavin’s got one thing he can do. He can release the water that comes from the north. There is massive amounts of water, rainwater, and mountain water, that comes, too, with the snow, comes down as it melts. There’s so much water, they’re releasing it into the Pacific Ocean.”
This claim about water being “released into the Pacific Ocean” is not just misleading, but it’s also entirely false. Trump went on to suggest that Los Angeles had access to vast amounts of water from the Pacific Northwest, but that a so-called “valve” was being used to divert it into the ocean. In his words, “All they have to do is turn the valve, and that’s the valve coming back from and down from the Pacific Northwest, where millions of gallons of water a week… pours into California, goes all through California down to Los Angeles. And they turned it off.”
The idea of a valve that could simply “turn on” water from the Pacific Northwest is not only absurd, it’s also impossible. No such pipeline exists, and no “valve” is available to direct water across such a vast distance. Trump’s suggestion is far removed from reality, and he further claimed that he had personally intervened to turn the water “on,” using military power and emergency measures. This dramatic statement about the military entering California to manage the water supply was nothing short of a fabrication. There is no truth to the idea that the military has played any role in this process, nor is there any pipeline linking California directly to the Pacific Northwest.
In response to Trump’s false claims, the California Department of Water Resources immediately took action to correct the record. They clarified that the military did not intervene and that the federal government had merely restarted federal water pumps after a brief maintenance period. They also confirmed that state water supplies in Southern California remained abundant, and the situation did not warrant the dramatic intervention Trump suggested.
California officials also took the matter a step further, launching a fact-check webpage titled “Hear the experts give the real facts on California water.” The page directly addresses the misinformation spread by the Trump administration, citing experts and trusted sources to clarify the state’s water situation. John Buse, general counsel for the Center for Biological Diversity, called Trump’s statements “preposterous” and difficult to understand, as there is no such “valve” that could redirect water in the way Trump claimed. Similarly, Miles Johnson of the Columbia Riverkeeper dismissed the idea as “completely far-fetched and detached from reality.”
The state’s official response underscores the importance of relying on science and expert knowledge to manage California’s water resources. In a time of extreme droughts and devastating wildfires, accurate information is crucial to ensuring that the state can recover and effectively manage its resources for future generations.
With California continuing its efforts to rebuild from the wildfires and prepare for the 2028 Olympics, the misinformation being spread by Trump is clearly a stumbling block. As the state continues to make strides in its recovery, officials are committed to setting the record straight and ensuring that the public has access to factual, reliable information.
In the end, California’s response to Trump’s false water claims highlights the importance of fact-based leadership and cooperation. As the state pushes forward, it will need accurate information and strong partnerships at all levels to ensure a successful recovery and to make the most of the opportunities the 2028 Olympics present. California remains determined to move forward, leaving the baseless claims behind and focusing on the work that lies ahead.
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