Gavin Newsom says President Trump interrupted his Davos speech
California Governor Gavin Newsom said President Donald Trump blocked him from speaking at Davos.
- President Trump has said he will not allow construction of low-income housing in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles.
- President Trump’s comments follow an executive order aimed at speeding up rebuilding in areas affected by last year’s wildfires.
- California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the president’s orders and statements, accusing him of politicizing disaster recovery.
President Donald Trump reiterated that he does not want to build low-income housing in Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades area, which is slowly recovering from last year’s deadly wildfires.
At the first Cabinet meeting of the year on Jan. 29, President Trump used his real estate expertise to say he had no intention of allowing that to happen in a beach-adjacent community known for its upscale and expensive homes. The Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people, burned more than 23,000 acres, including nearly 7,000 structures. Approximately 6,000 of these were single-family homes.
“It may or may not be politically incorrect,” Trump told Cabinet members. “I’m not going to let these people destroy home values. I’ve built a lot of low-income housing. I’ve made a lot of money on low-income housing. I know more about that than anyone. We’re not going to build.”
President Trump’s comments came days after he issued a second executive order aimed at speeding up the rebuilding of Southern California communities destroyed by last year’s Pacific Palisades and Eaton wildfires. The White House said in a statement that President Trump’s order will allow homeowners to rebuild their homes without complying with “unnecessary, duplicative or intrusive” permitting requirements.
At a January 29 cabinet meeting, President Trump again criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom, saying the fires were spreading because of a lack of water resources. Newsom’s office has previously disputed these claims and detailed its reasoning in an X-Post last year.
In July 2025, Newsom’s office announced a $101 million plan for “multifamily low-income housing developments” in the areas most affected by the Palisades, Eaton, and Hughes fires.
President Trump on January 29 directed Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin to take the lead in helping residents rebuild and confronting Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
“We’re not going to build, and we’re not going to allow this guy to build a low-income housing project on top of everything else in the middle of the mess that’s been caused by not allowing water to come in from the Pacific Northwest,” Trump continued. “And I want it to stop.”
“Lending for low-income housing will disappear,” Trump told Zeldin. “Let people build houses. Help them as soon as possible, help the mayor, help the governor get permits.”
Trump criticizes second executive order
President Trump’s executive order regarding wildfires and subsequent comments about California officials’ response to the crisis drew sharp criticism from Mr. Newsom. Mr. Newsom continues to push his wildfire legislation, asking the Trump administration and Congress to channel about $34 billion in federal disaster aid, a relief measure he requested about a year ago. Newsom said on January 27 that the president was misrepresenting the state’s progress while attempting an unprecedented federal takeover of local permitting authority.
The Newsom administration rejected the order, arguing that local permit schedules had already doubled since the fire. The governor’s office has repeatedly accused President Trump of politicizing disaster recovery by ignoring basic facts about water supplies and forest management, and of failing to keep his promise to provide federal funding to help wildfire victims.
“The federal government needs to release money instead of taking over the speed of local permit approvals. The main obstacle is that communities don’t have the money to rebuild. Mr. President, we really need your help. We’re asking for it,” Newsom said in a Jan. 27 post to X. “Release the federal disaster aid you are withholding to help communities rebuild their homes, schools, parks, and infrastructure. Please help us. Please!”
President Trump said at a Cabinet meeting that governors, mayors and others would want to be praised once his administration begins to move forward with rebuilding.
“They’re going to take credit for that, so pay attention,” Trump said. “It’s going to start, and they’re going to praise it, ‘Look, what a great job we’ve done.'”
