On Friday, January 24, 2025, President Donald Trump traveled to Asheville, North Carolina. Last September, the city and surrounding areas were hit hard by Hurricane Helene, a category four storm that caused up to $200 billion in damages and claimed more than 230 lives.
As Trump visited Asheville and met with Governor Josh Stein, he spoke to reporters about recent disasters not only in North Carolina, but also in California. More specifically, Los Angeles County has been struck with wildfires, claiming more than two dozen lives and consuming more than 10,000 homes.
“Will you withhold funding to Los Angeles because of its sanctuary city policy?” a reporter asked.
“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. Those are the two things,” Trump answered. “After that, I will be the greatest president that California have ever — has ever seen.”
A reporter attempted to ask another question, but Trump expanded on his thoughts from the previous question.
“I want the water to come down and come down to Los Angeles and also go out to all the farmland that’s barren and dry. You know, they have land that they say is the equivalent of the land in Iowa, which is about as good as there is anywhere on Earth. The problem is it’s artificial, because they artificially stop the water from going on to the land,” Trump continued. “So, I want two things. I want voter ID for the people of California, and they all want it. Right now, you have no — you don’t have voter ID. People want to have voter identification. You want to have proof of citizenship. Ideally, you have one-day voting, but I just want voter ID as a start. And I want the water to be released, and they’re going to get a lot of help from the U.S.”
Shortly after Trump spoke to the press in North Carolina, the office of Governor Gavin Newsom issued a response.
“Conditioning aid for American citizens is wrong,” the Press Office of Governor Gavin Newsom stated. FACT: 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. FACT: 15 states do not generally require voter ID at polls, including Nevada and Pennsylvania (two states won by President Trump). FACT: California pumps as much water now as it could under prior Trump-era policies.”
