LOS ANGELES— President Trump will visit Los Angeles Friday to see the aftermath of the tragic, climate-fueled wildfires that killed at least 28 people and destroyed more than 15,000 structures. Trump’s visit comes just days after he signed an executive order on water allocation that falsely blamed environmental protections in the Bay Delta for the fires.

“In the aftermath of the tragic fires, L.A. is mourning while Trump is busy playing the blame game and deceiving the American people,” said John Buse, senior counsel at the Center for Biological Diversity. “When Trump sees the heartbreaking devastation firsthand, I hope he realizes that a true leader will work on solutions rather than spread lies to score political points.”

State and local officials confirmed there were no water shortages in Los Angeles at the time of the fires, but Trump spread lies about this on his Truth Social account. In fact, most reservoirs held plenty of water from previous wet winters.

Trump’s plan to send more Bay Delta water south would overwhelmingly benefit the corporate agricultural industry in the Central Valley.

The Bay Delta, home to threatened species like the Chinook salmon and delta smelt, is routinely targeted by harmful infrastructure projects and water diversions. Communities near the Delta depend on a healthy river system for local agriculture, drinking water and recreation needs. Drawing more water from the Delta would’ve had no bearing on the L.A. fires.

The Palisades and Eaton fires were started in dense chaparral at the foothills of the Santa Monica and San Gabriel mountains, respectively. No amount of “brush clearing” in faraway forests would have prevented these fires, as Trump has falsely claimed. What made firefighting particularly challenging were the strong Santa Ana winds whipping across a fire-prone landscape where ignition risk has been increased by “hydroclimate whiplash” — rapid swings between extremely wet weather and dangerous droughts intensified by human-caused climate change.

As Los Angeles County recovers from disaster, state and local policymakers should steer new development away from risky wildfire prone areas. Existing communities in the urban wildlands also need resources for home hardening and other safety measures to lower wildfire risk. Evidence has shown that fire-resistant roofs, ember-resistant vents, well-maintained defensible space and rooftop sprinklers with an independent water source can help cut risk.