As communities across Los Angeles County burned in a spate of wildfires on Wednesday, the crisis highlighted the stark difference between the new and outgoing presidents and their relationships with California.

President Biden stood next to Gov. Gavin Newsom, a fellow Democrat, at a fire station in Santa Monica and pledged to provide full federal assistance to the state.

“We are prepared to do everything we can to contain these fires for as long as it takes,” Biden said.

Read more: Live coverage: 2 dead and more than 1,000 homes, businesses and other buildings destroyed in fires in LA County

Hours earlier, just days before his Jan. 20 swearing-in, Republican President-elect Donald Trump blamed “Newscum and his Los Angeles crew” for the unfolding disaster.

In a post on his social media page Truth Social, Trump said the Democratic governor had “refused to sign a water restoration declaration” that he said would have caused millions of gallons of rain and snowmelt to flow south into the burning areas areas could flow.

“Now the ultimate price is being paid,” Trump wrote. “I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to flow into CALIFORNIA!”

The president-elect’s morning missive, as communities burned and thousands of people fled their homes, reiterated his earlier threats to withhold wildfire funding if Newsom refused to agree to Trump’s water policy for California. But water experts said Trump’s water proposals are likely to face significant obstacles and that his claims linking water deliveries to firefighting are inaccurate.

Read more: Staggering casualties from the LA firestorm: 5 dead, 2,000 buildings destroyed or damaged

Although Newsom praised Trump during his first term for approving federal disaster wildfire funding, the governor has since said he would have to “kiss the ring” to convince Trump to help.

Newsom has praised Biden for not playing political games during disasters.

“It is impossible for me to express the level of appreciation and cooperation we have received from the White House and this administration,” Newsom said Wednesday in Santa Monica.

When it comes to disaster relief, presidents have broad discretion, which could be jeopardized in the future if Trump carries out his threats after his inauguration.

California and other states receive the bulk of federal wildfire aid through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, including direct payments and services for homeowners and renters whose property was damaged, as well as public assistance for things like search and rescue teams, debris removal and infrastructure repair.

To qualify, states must demonstrate that an incident is so severe and large that a response exceeds the state’s capabilities. The governor must request a major disaster and the president must declare it and then approve any assistance requested by the governor.

FEMA decides whether a federal disaster declaration is warranted and makes a recommendation to the President. Presidents have followed this recommendation in the past, but there is no law requiring them to do so.

Read more: Could Trump really cut off wildfire aid to California? Absolutely

Trump initially refused to approve federal aid to California to fight the wildfires in 2018 until a National Security Council official showed him that there was a dense concentration of voters in Orange County who supported him Politico.

In another example, in 2020, FEMA rejected a request for assistance to California with a half-dozen wildfires The next day, things changed course after Republicans appealed to Trump and the governor and president spoke on the phone.

State Sen. Ben Allen, a Democrat who lives and grew up in Santa Monica, attended Wednesday’s news conference with the president and governor. Allen said it was clear from Newsom’s comments since the fires began that the governor was concerned about federal disaster assistance under the Trump administration. Allen said Biden’s response was remarkably quick and thorough. But he said he couldn’t imagine Trump would ignore Californians in their time of need.

“I have every expectation that the new administration will help its fellow Americans in moments of vulnerability,” Allen said. “Every White House throughout history has done this, Democrat or Republican. There is no reason why they should not continue to provide the same level of support and service as previous presidents.”

Despite Trump’s animated rhetoric, he traveled to California as president to survey the fire damage and meet with Newsom. Trump toured Paradise in 2018 after the state’s deadliest wildfire. And he met with Newsom in Sacramento after a spate of wildfires in 2020.

Newsom and Trump traded blows on social media, in the news media and in court during the president-elect’s first term, but remained cordial in texts, calls and even in person. But that relationship appears to have deteriorated during Biden’s presidency.

Newsom said Trump did not return a November call congratulating the new president on his election victory. A Newsom aide said the two men still had not spoken.

The president-elect continued to blame Newsom for the fires on Truth Social on Wednesday: “So far, Gavin Newscum and his crew in Los Angeles have contained exactly ZERO percent of the fire. It’s burning at a level that even exceeds last night’s. “This is not government.”

Trump also took shots at Biden.

“NO WATER IN THE FIRE HYDRANTS, NO MONEY IN FEMA,” he posted. “THIS IS WHAT JOE BIDEN LEAVES TO ME. THANK YOU JOE!”

Peter Gleick, a hydroclimatologist and senior fellow at the Oakland-based Pacific Institute, said Trump’s comments attempting to link California water policy to Southern California firefighters’ water supply problems were “patently false, irresponsible and politically self-serving.”

“There is no water shortage in Southern California – the state’s reservoirs are all at or above levels normally expected this time of year. The problem with water supplies for the fires is entirely due to the massive immediate need for firefighting water, broken or damaged pipes and pumps, and homeowners running hoses and sprinklers in hopes of saving property.

Staff writer Ian James contributed to this report.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.