Los Angeles mayor, California governor face backlash for wildfire response

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom are facing criticism for deadly wildfires that have devastated parts of the city.

The two leaders are under fire for alleged mismanagement of resources leading up to the disaster, which has killed at least five victims and destroyed more than 1,000 homes.

Bass has been particularly criticized for being out of the country as wildfires rage Southern California. She traveled to Ghana as part of a delegation sent by President Joe Biden for the inauguration of that country's new president. The mayor departed Jan. 6, the eve of the fires, and returned early Wednesday.

Richard Grenell, an adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, lambasted Bass for being "in Africa while our city is literally burning to the ground." Tech billionaire Elon Musk also weighed in, calling Bass "utterly incompetent."

Bass faced further backlash Wednesday after a video surfaced showing her ignoring a reporter's questions about the disaster for two minutes. The clip quickly circulated on social media.

Trump criticized Bass and Newsom in a Thursday morning post on Truth Social: "Fire is spreading rapidly for 3 days — ZERO CONTAINMENT. Nobody has ever seen such failed numbers before! Gross incompetence by Gavin Newscum and Karen Bass….And Biden's FEMA has no money — all wasted on the Green New Scam! L.A. is a total wipeout!!!"

Earlier, Trump had called for Newsom to resign.

The president-elect first targeted Newsom on Wednesday, claiming he had tried to convince the governor to allow water to be redirected from the Pacific to help combat the wildfires but was rebuffed due to environmental concerns.

"For the sake of a smelt, they have no water… It's a mistake of the governor, and you could say, the administration … Let this serve, and be emblematic, of the gross incompetence and mismanagement of the Biden/Newscum Duo," Trump wrote on Truth Social.