Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis refused to allow a reporter to criticize President-elect Donald Trump’s remarks about Democratic leaders in California, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, over their policies that he says led to the massive wildfires consuming entire neighborhoods in and around Los Angeles.

“Is it appropriate for a president-elect or a president to be criticizing —” a female reporter attempted to ask following a meeting between Trump and dozens of GOP governors who met with him at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday.

“Is it appropriate for people in your industry to try to create division and to try to create narratives anytime these things happen? Now, you’re not as interested in doing that because Newsom is a D. If Newsom was a Republican, you guys would go try to, you would have him nailed to the wall for what they’re doing over there,” DeSantis said.

“And I know we’ve dealt with it. We just assume in Florida, anytime something happens, it’s going to be politicized by the media. So you guys sitting in judgment of Donald Trump, I mean, excuse me, I think your track record of politicizing these things is very, very bad,” he added.

The reporter then followed with another question: “But Trump said Newsom should resign and that the wildfires are all his fault. So do you agree with those comments?”

“I’ve had — I remember when we had the Surfside Tower collapse,” DeSantis replied, referencing the June 24, 2021, incident in a Miami neighborhood in the early morning hours that killed 98 people.

“I had people from the Washington Post trying to blame me for it immediately without having any facts or anything. ‘Oh, he didn’t declare a state of emergency.’ First of all, state of emergency doesn’t mean you can’t respond. It’s all that,” DeSantis added.

After the reporter said Biden did not attack him over it, DeSantis continued.

“I’m telling you is you guys are trying to make an issue of it. When I have watched from this seat, in fact, when I got elected governor, I was meeting with some of the other Republican governors and what they would say is, ‘Hey, if you have a natural disaster, just know media’s coming at you,'” he explained.

“They’re going to do it. It’s not the same. That mayor of LA, if that were a Republican mayor, I can only imagine what that would do.”

WATCH:

Gov. Ron DeSantis obliterates mainstream media reporter trying to criticize Trump for correctly pointing out the inept Democrat leadership in Calif responsible for the wildfires consuming LA.

Says if Newsom was an R he'd get the same treatment. pic.twitter.com/DlFoDXQGxK

— USA Features Media (@UsaFeatures) January 10, 2025