Well, well, well—look who’s finally come around! California Governor Gavin Newsom, the Golden State’s self-styled progressive poster boy, has just declared a state of emergency to clear flammable brush from the state’s forests. And why? Because President Donald Trump’s been right all along, and Newsom knows it. POLITICO broke the story detailing how Newsom’s dramatic move suspends California’s sacred environmental regulations—those same rules the left has clung to like a security blanket while wildfires torch the state year after year. Turns out, Trump’s been sounding the alarm on this for years, and Sacramento’s finally listening.

Let’s rewind the tape. Back in his first term, Trump famously pointed out what any sensible person could see: California’s forests were a tinderbox waiting to ignite, choked with dead trees and brush that the state refused to clear. His solution? Manage the land—rake it, trim it, do something—instead of letting nature run wild under the guise of eco-piety. The response from the California elite? Sneers and eye-rolls. “Raking the forests? How simplistic!” they scoffed, as if Trump had suggested fairy dust could solve the problem. Meanwhile, wildfires kept burning, lives were lost, and billions in damages piled up—culminating in January’s Los Angeles blaze, now pegged as the costliest disaster in U.S. history.

Fast forward to today, March 3, 2025. Newsom’s emergency order isn’t just a policy shift—it’s a tacit admission that Trump’s been on the money. The governor’s suspending the California Environmental Quality Act and Coastal Act, those bureaucratic behemoths Trump and his allies have long blamed for tying the state’s hands. Newsom’s even echoing Trump’s language, promising “fuel breaks” and “prescribed fires” to protect vulnerable communities. Sound familiar? It should. Trump’s been hammering this point since at least 2018, when he first called out California’s mismanagement—despite the fact that over half the state’s forests are federally controlled, a detail his critics conveniently ignore.

And here’s the kicker: Newsom’s timing couldn’t be more transparent. With Trump back in the White House and Republicans holding the purse strings on nearly $40 billion in disaster aid for Los Angeles, the governor’s suddenly eager to play ball. POLITICO notes Trump’s January visit to LA, where he slammed the California Coastal Commission as a permitting nightmare—“the most difficult in the entire country,” he said. Now Newsom’s slashing those same red-tape rules to appease the administration. Coincidence? Hardly. This is a man who knows the aid spigot won’t flow unless he shows some spine on forest management.

The irony is thicker than the smoke over LA. For years, Newsom and his crew insisted they’d “surged” brush-clearing efforts since he took office in 2019. Yet here we are, with the governor admitting it’s not enough—implicitly conceding that Trump’s critique hit the bullseye. Even Richard Grenell, Trump’s special envoy, is piling on, calling the Coastal Commission “a disaster” and hinting at tying aid to real reforms.

So, let’s raise a glass to common sense prevailing—at least for now. California’s finally waking up to the reality that hugging trees doesn’t stop them from burning. Trump’s been vindicated, and Newsom’s eating a slice of humble pie, whether he admits it or not. The only question left is how long it’ll take the eco-warriors to forgive their golden boy for this heresy. Something tells me they won’t be raking him over the coals too hard—not when there’s federal cash on the line.

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