Trump Gives 2 Conditions to California Before Offering Federal Aid for Wildfires

They involve voter identification rules and water, the president signaled.

President Donald Trump speaks at a Hurricane Helene recovery briefing in a hangar at the Asheville Regional Airport in Fletcher, N.C., on Jan. 24, 2025. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

President Donald Trump said on Jan. 24 that he wants Los Angeles and California to fulfill two requirements before he offers federal support to wildfire-devastated areas in the state.

“I want to see two things in Los Angeles: voter ID, so that the people have a chance to vote, and I want to see the water be released and come down into Los Angeles and throughout the state,” Trump told reporters in North Carolina.