A recent poll found that most college students do not feel California Governor Gavin Newsom is responsible for the wildfires that tore through Los Angeles County last month, despite President Donald Trump's criticism of the governor.
Newsweek reached out to Newsom's and Trump's press offices by email for comment.
Why It Matters
In January, numerous wildfires ignited in Los Angeles County and other Southern California areas amid unseasonably dry conditions and strong winds. The Los Angeles wildfires killed at least 29 people and burned thousands of acres while destroying countless structures.
Days before Trump was inaugurated, he took to his social media website Truth Social to criticize Newsom for his role in the fires, saying, "This is all his fault!!!"
What To Know
College Pulse is a survey research and analytics company that polls college students from more than 1,500 two- and four-year colleges and universities.
The survey polled 1,207 college students from January 24 to 31 and asked them various questions, such as how they think Trump is handling his presidency so far and how they felt about the direction the U.S. is heading in.
One of the questions said: "Please select your agreement or disagreement with the following statement: Gavin Newsom is to blame for the California wildfires in Los Angeles." The answers were strongly agree, somewhat agree, neither agree or disagree, somewhat disagree and strongly disagree.
Of the responses, only 3.6 percent said they "strongly agree" that Newsom was to blame. Around 10 percent said they "somewhat agree."
Most respondents were neutral, with 51 percent saying they "neither agree or disagree." Fifteen percent said "somewhat disagree," and 19.9 percent said "strongly disagree."
Of the respondents who said they either "strongly agree" or "somewhat agree," 45.1 percent identified as Republican and 6.1 percent identified as Democrat. Of the respondents who said they either "strongly disagree" or "somewhat disagree," 10.8 percent were Republican and 47.9 percent were Democrat.
Of the respondents who were neutral, 44 percent were Republican and 45.9 percent were Democrat.
What People Are Saying
In early January, Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: "Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way."
Izzy Gardon, Gavin Newsom's director of communications, previously told Newsweek: "There is no such document as the water restoration declaration. That is pure fiction. The governor is focused on protecting people, not playing politics, and making sure firefighters have all the resources they need."
What Happens Next
All of the fires in Los Angeles County have either been extinguished or completely contained. Trump visited the city in January and vowed to help "fix" the damage.
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