On social media, President-elect Donald Trump amplified a claim that California Gov. Gavin Newsom slashed the state’s fire budget by $100 million just months before the outbreak of the recent wildfires. Newsom dismissed the claim as “a ridiculous lie,” saying that under his leadership, the state has “nearly doubled” its fire protection budget. Actually, both things are true.
As wildfires continued to rage in Southern California, President-elect Donald Trump took to social media with several false and misleading claims casting blame on California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, and President Joe Biden.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom — who head two of the largest states in the country — squared off in a debate on Nov. 30 on Fox News. The governors spun, mangled and exaggerated some of the facts on issues including COVID-19, migration, abortion, book bans and gasoline prices.
An ad from a political action committee tied to California Gov. Gavin Newsom claims that a law signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would subject women who get an abortion after six weeks to felony charges. DeSantis’ campaign calls the claim “a lie.” We look at what the law says — and doesn’t say — that has caused some concern and confusion.
After getting the COVID-19 booster on Oct. 27, California Gov. Gavin Newsom canceled a trip and did not participate in any official public events for 12 days. Social media posts claimed, without evidence, that Newsom was suffering serious side effects from the booster. But his staff denied that he had an “adverse reaction” to the shot and, during this time, he appeared twice on social media and reportedly attended a wedding.
Videos on social media suggest that holes in the return envelopes being used for mail-in ballots in California were designed to allow election officials to peek inside and toss out ballots in favor of recalling Gov. Gavin Newsom. Officials say the holes serve two useful purposes, including helping the vision impaired to sign the ballot envelope in private.
For the second year in a row, President Donald Trump inaccurately attributed California’s rash of wildfires to poor forest management. He also falsely said other states don’t have “close to the level of burn” as California.
Q: Was “voter fraud” responsible for Democratic wins in Orange County, California?
A: There have been no credible complaints of voter fraud in Orange County following the midterm elections.