California Governor Gavin Newsom, who once mocked President Trump’s call to “rake the forests” to prevent wildfires, is now adopting Trump’s exact approach as fires rage across the state under his watch. Standing before reporters in Placer County, Newsom unveiled a new push under the slogan “Make America Rake Again,” a phrase he previously ridiculed on late-night TV.
Wildfires have burned a hole through Newsom’s record, with major blazes repeatedly sweeping the state during his tenure. Newsom blamed the federal government for California’s failures, claiming that since the feds manage 57% of the state’s land, they should take the lead. He also demanded President Trump send \$40 billion in aid to California while signing off on millions to fight Trump in court over unrelated issues.
Newsom’s pivot comes as California faces devastating losses from fires, including the catastrophic Los Angeles blazes earlier this year, many of which started on state-managed lands. Yet Newsom tried to shift blame, arguing the fires prove why the federal government must “back up its rhetoric with investments and resources.”
Critics note that the governor’s posture reeks of political opportunism, especially as he toys with a 2028 presidential run. His attempt to hijack Trump’s wildfire prevention strategy comes despite years of dismissing the idea as foolish, a contradiction underscored by Newsom’s jab that Trump “quite literally thinks you should just go out and rake the forest.”
Despite his attempts to turn the slogan into a partisan attack, the move reveals how deeply California’s wildfire failures have damaged Newsom’s record and forced him into a position of following Trump’s lead. It also highlights the growing financial strain on the state as Newsom pleads for federal help while ignoring policy reforms that could streamline fire prevention efforts.
Newsom’s critics say that if he truly wanted to prevent fires, he would clear the bureaucratic hurdles and environmental regulations that have made thinning forests and clearing brush nearly impossible in California. Instead, they argue, he’s hiding behind slogans and blaming others while families continue to lose homes and lives to out-of-control fires.
With the governor now borrowing Trump’s slogan and strategy, the question is whether he will actually follow through with action or continue to blame others while California burns.
