Trump has signed an executive order seeking to circumvent federal and state laws dealing with California's water system in an effort to provide the southern part of the state with necessary water resources to fight wildfires.

Newsom and California are frequently the target of Trump’s ire. Some of his most memorable criticisms of the state have been over how it manages its wildlands in the face of wildfire risk. In his first term, Trump suggested California should be “raking” their forests to clean up dead brush and trees.