‘Uneducated buffoons and bigots’ on the far-right call for Gavin Newsom to resign, seemingly forgetting the rampant disasters that ravaged on their watch

The wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area are terrifying and horrific. So, it makes sense that Donald Trump has used this unfolding tragedy to try and score political points by calling for California governer Gavin Newsom to resign.

There really are no words to describe how shameless the sexual assaulter and former Apprentice host is being with these highly politicized calls. But, then again, being fantastically callous and inappropriate is par for the course with Trump.

His supporters have, predictably, jumped on the bandwagon. Also in typical MAGA style, they seem to be unaware of how hypocritical they’re being (or, just as likely, they’re doing it on purpose).

There are a few layers to this shameless inconsistency. First and foremost, there’s the indisputable fact that the ferocity and strange timing of these fires are related to climate change. The topic, which is contentious despite the vast majority of scientific evidence pointing towards its veracity, is a hot one across the U.S, with conservatives tending to downplay its significance, or even outright deny it.

Aggrivating factors, like pollution, are also encouraged by Republican policies backed by Trump, such as scrambling for more oil and gas to be pulled out of the ground and burned so that some very rich people can get even more money they won’t live long enough to spend.

There’s also the fact that plenty of natural disasters have occurred in red states, run by Republican politicians. Recently, Florida was ravaged by hurricanes, and there were no calls from Trump for Ron De Santis to resign.

An even more relevant silence from Trump relates to Texas. Recently, the largest wildfires in the state’s history took place under governor Greg Abbott, yet there was nothing from the Home Alone 2: Lost in New York actor on the matter. Trump was also conspicuously quiet about the fact that over winter Texans were left in the lurch by cold weather conditions, with many having no access to water or electricity thanks to an ancient, underfunded power grid and a slightly harsher than usual climate.

Other X users have pointed out that Trump had his own massive crisis that he failed to deal with: the response to Covid. In response to a post by hedge fund manager (a totally useful job) Bill Ackman that implies Newsom should resign, one X user reminded the finance man of Trump’s pitiful response to the pandemic, which is estimated to have led to thousands of avoidable deaths.

And, in classic Republican fashion, the history of wildfires in the area is also being ignored by those who are calling for Newsom’s head. The last time a wildfire raged in the Malibu area, California was under Republican control, with L.A also being home to a GOP mayor.

While this is all infuriating, the most important thing about the situation is that as many people as possible make it out unharmed. Let’s hope that the political sniping takes a backseat while the important issue of safety is given full priority.