Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass faced criticism for her handling of the recent wildfires, with President-elect Donald Trump blaming California Governor Gavin Newsom for the disaster. The wildfires, which have claimed at least five lives, have become one of California’s biggest natural disasters. Mayor Bass, who was in Ghana when the fires started, has faced questions about her initial absence. Despite the criticism, she emphasized the priority of protecting lives and homes. The fires, fueled by dry conditions and strong winds, have consumed a large area and strained firefighting efforts due to water shortages in some areas. Trump and his allies on social media have criticized Bass and Newsom, accusing them of incompetence. Newsom’s team dismissed the accusations as political posturing, emphasizing the focus on protecting people and providing resources for firefighters. Some conservatives, including Elon Musk, have tried to link the disaster to diversity programs without evidence to support their claims.
Gul, referring to as Bass, criticized him as “completely incompetent” in a social media post on the platform X, which garnered 23 million views. In another post, Gul unjustly accused municipal authorities of giving precedence to diversity initiatives over “preserving lives and residences.” (Reported by Nathan Layne in New York and Kanishka Singh in Washington; Edited by Lincoln Feast.)
