With wildfires ravaging Los Angeles County since the start of the year, Republicans have openly discussed withholding crucial disaster aid for California unless the state makes right-wing policy changes.
Earlier this month, I wrote about some of these Republicans, including far-right influencer Charlie Kirk, who said the funds should be contingent on California firing Kristin Crowley, Los Angeles’ first female and openly gay fire chief. And President Donald Trump has blamed the fires on California’s water distribution policy, though experts have pushed back on such claims. That hasn’t stopped him from demanding that California officials change their water policy.
Over the weekend, Trump added to his apparent list of conditions for California to receive federal fire aid, telling reporters on Friday that the state should impose a voting law that many legal experts say is voter suppression.
“In California, I have a condition,” he said during a news conference while visiting hurricane-affected areas of North Carolina. “In California, we want them to have voter ID so the people have a voice, because right now the people don’t have a voice, because you don’t know who’s voting and it’s very corrupt.”
REPORTER: You talk about condition being placed on aid to California, voter ID and the like. Are there any conditions you're gonna put on aid to North Carolina?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 24, 2025
TRUMP: We're gonna do a lot for North Carolina
R: So no conditions?
T: Well, in CA I have a condition. We want them… pic.twitter.com/Wy9gunCchC
There’s no evidence California’s voting system is corrupt or rife with voter fraud. As Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office posted to X on Friday: “Under current CA law you must be a CA resident and US citizen (and attest to being one under penalty of perjury) AND provide a form of ID such as driver’s license or passport that has been approved by the Secretary of State in order to register to vote.”
Trump’s proposed remedy to fix this nonexistent problem of widespread voter fraud, enhanced “voter ID,” is conservative parlance for policies that experts and activists often warn disproportionately harm nonwhite voters and other marginalized groups for various reasons. Trump’s ultimatum is all the more disturbing when you consider that the town of Altadena, which has a significant Black population, was severely hurt by the wildfires in California. Now he’s suggesting making their recovery contingent on California accepting policies that could make it harder for some of those people to vote.
So here, we have a scenario that feels similar to what led to Trump’s first impeachment for requesting a political favor in exchange for congressionally authorized aid to Ukraine. (The GOP-controlled Senate ultimately voted to acquit him.) In California’s case, Trump is being more explicit in demanding political concessions in exchange for vital aid. And he’s not threatening to withhold aid Congress has already authorized. He’s getting out in front of the negotiations entirely. On that note, shoutout to U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., who looked Trump in the eye during a meeting last Friday and warned that his cruel ultimatum could easily come back to hurt Republicans if a Democrat regains the White House and decides to use similar tactics against conservative-led states. Watch Sherman’s encounter with Trump below: Wow — Rep. Brad Sherman tells Trump, "I would never turn to somebody from Louisiana and say, 'you keep living on your cousins's coach until Louisiana agrees with me on a woman's right to choose.'" pic.twitter.com/vZ6ddCgPon
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog. Recommended
