Trump Attacks Newsom over Pacific Palisades Housing, Critics Call Claims Baseless

This week, Donald Trump launched a new attack on California Governor Gavin Newsom, alleging without evidence that the state is in the “final stages of approval to build Low Income Housing in Pacific Palisades.”

Trump, who has repeatedly criticized California leaders, described the alleged plan as “unfair” to residents and revived several debunked claims about the state’s wildfire response and housing policies.

In his post, Trump referred to the governor as “Gavin Newscum” and tied the supposed housing project to previous wildfire disasters. “How unfair is that to the people that have suffered so much! Newscum allowed their houses to burn by not accepting Hundreds of Millions of Gallons of Water from the Pacific Northwest, and now, the Low Income Housing starts rising long before he gets Permits for California Citizens to rebuild, but long after the Federal Permits were issued,” Trump wrote.

Trump claimed credit for what he described as federal leadership in the aftermath of fires. “Lee Zeldin, EPA Administrator, and I, as President, have done the job, and produced all Permits long before anybody expected that to happen,” he said. He then accused Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of failing the state, writing that “Governor of California and Mayor Karen Bass failed you.”

Trump also connected his claims to past political history. “Gavin Newscum’s plan to build Low Income Housing (at the Super Luxury Pacific Palisades Fire Site) is what caused the destruction of the Late, Great New York City Mayor John Lindsay’s Political Career — and John Lindsay was a Republican.”

Trump’s post quickly drew attention not only for its attacks on Newsom and Bass, but also for its factual inaccuracies. Independent fact-checks and state records show no evidence of any state plan to approve low-income housing specifically in Pacific Palisades. The Los Angeles Times reported, “There is no state effort targeting new low-income housing in the Pacific Palisades,” directly contradicting Trump’s assertion.

Trump’s reference to water transfers from the Pacific Northwest also drew pushback. Forbes noted, “Mr. President, Pacific Northwest Water DOES NOT Flow to LA. … The Pacific Northwest region … sends no water to LA.” California’s water system relies on the Colorado River, the State Water Project, and local sources, not transfers from the Pacific Northwest.

Trump further claimed that federal permits for rebuilding were issued more quickly than state permits, suggesting California had delayed its own residents’ ability to recover from wildfire damage. But records from state agencies show that the Governor does not issue housing permits. Local governments, such as Los Angeles city and county agencies, are responsible for those approvals. California maintains public records of permit timelines, including those connected to disaster recovery, and no evidence supports Trump’s description of state delays.

Housing policy experts also dismissed the idea of federal housing permits. No such permits exist.

Trump’s broadside comes as California lawmakers debate SB 79, a major housing bill authored by Senator Scott Wiener. Known as the Abundant & Affordable Homes Near Transit Act, SB 79 would legalize more multi-family housing near major transit corridors. Pro-housing advocates argue the measure is crucial to addressing the state’s housing shortage, while opponents, including some cities, object to what they describe as state overreach into local zoning.

The debate has generated conspiracy theories and misinformation, particularly online.

 M. Nolan Gray, legislative director of California YIMBY, said, “A lot of the opposition to SB 79 was driven by schizoid online conspiracies. If Governor Newsom signs it in the same year he exempted infill housing from endless environmental review, he’ll probably have the best pro-housing reform record in California history.”

Trump’s claim about low-income housing in Pacific Palisades appears to echo some of these narratives. Pacific Palisades is an affluent Los Angeles neighborhood with some of the city’s highest real estate values. Proposals to expand affordable housing in wealthy enclaves have long drawn strong opposition, but state officials have not advanced any project of the kind Trump described.

Newsom fired back at Trump in sharp terms. “Take your dementia meds, grandpa. You are making things up again,” the governor wrote.

The exchange is the latest in a series of confrontations between Trump and Newsom. Since returning to the White House, Trump has reignited disputes with Democratic governors over immigration, climate, housing, and disaster response. Newsom has positioned himself as a leading Democratic critic of the administration, frequently clashing with the president’s policies and rhetoric.

Mayor Bass, also targeted by Trump, has focused on housing and homelessness during her first term. She has launched programs to accelerate affordable housing development and expand temporary shelter. While Bass did not respond to Trump’s latest comments, her administration has consistently defended the city’s housing efforts as urgent steps to address Los Angeles’ homelessness crisis, among the largest in the nation.

California’s housing shortage remains one of the state’s most pressing issues, driving costs to record levels and fueling calls for expanded development. Newsom has signed multiple pro-housing bills that streamline approvals, override some local restrictions, and increase funding for affordable housing. Critics, including homeowner groups and some local governments, accuse him of undermining local control, while supporters argue the reforms are necessary to confront a crisis decades in the making.

Trump’s comments also reflect the broader political stakes. As president, his interventions in local and state housing issues underscore how partisan divides extend into policy arenas traditionally left to states and cities. His attacks on Newsom also highlight their personal rivalry, which has become a recurring subplot in national politics.

Despite Trump’s claims, no records show any housing permits of the type he described in Pacific Palisades, nor any evidence that federal permits were issued before local ones. Experts agree that his statements misrepresent California’s water system, wildfire recovery processes, and housing policy.

The episode illustrates how misinformation and conspiracy theories continue to shape debates over housing and disaster recovery in California. With SB 79 and other housing reforms moving forward, those disputes are likely to intensify, especially as the president himself amplifies unverified claims.

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