‘That’s not necessarily true’: Trump’s son lies about Ukraine and LA wildfires, eagerly spreading misinformation

California is suffering from one of the worst wildfires in recent memory. In response, the Trump family has decided to do what they do best: lie.

“Oh look of course The LA fire department donated a bunch of their supplies to Ukraine” wrote Donald Trump’s eldest son on X, reposting an link to an ABC news article originally shared by Wall Street banker and author John LeFevre that reported California firefighters sent “extra equipment to first responders” overseas.

“That’s not necessarily true,” responded another user, calling the junior Trump out. “It was old equipment from a volunteer group.”

Another user responded “He knows. He just doesn’t care.”

Despite what Donald Trump Jr. would have X believe, firefighters’ struggle to fight the current blaze has nothing to do with the donation. After all, that donation was made years ago in 2022. According to  Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, lack of personnel is the most significant issue plaguing the city. “There are 9,000 firefighters in Los Angeles County between the county’s fire department and 29 other fire agencies, which is still not enough to address all the fires in the region,” Marrone said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

Donald Trump Jr.’s lies surrounding the fires come on the heels of his father’s, who lambasted California governor Gavin Newsome in a Truth Social post for “refusing to sign the water restoration declaration” that would have let “millions of gallons of water” stream across the afflicted region. Newsom’s office responded in a post on X, saying that there’s no such thing as the “water restoration declaration,” the document is “pure fiction” made up by Trump in an attempt to “play politics” while victims suffer. Like father, like son.

According to another user, California’s equipment exchange with Ukraine was part of a national effort to partner U.S. states with foreign countries in order to administer aid. As this user suggests, California is indeed partnered with Ukraine.

Another user pointed out the obvious: “Two YEARS ago they donated gear to Ukraine.” One can even clearly the date of the article in the original post – it’s from 2022.

The user adds that California’s current wildfires are a “biblical level catastrophe” like the fire from heaven said to have destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. “I’m sure they’re doing what they can.” They are. California officials have admitted that despite the best efforts of fire crews, emergency personnel are completely overwhelmed due to a lack of sufficient manpower. “We don’t have enough fire personnel in L.A. County between all the departments to handle this” said L.A. Fire Chief Marrone.

While Donald Trump and his son have offered nothing but criticism toward California, foreign nations have been far more kind. Ukraine itself has expressed its sympathies, with the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy writing “Los Angeles. Condolences to the victims and relatives of those who died in the fires, as well as to all the American people,” in an online post.

Donald Trump Jr. and Sr.’s efforts to deride California stem from a long-term feud between the Trump political family and the state. While campaigning for the presidency, Trump threatened to cut wildfire aid to California if the state’s water policies remained unchanged. During his first term in office, Trump did withhold wildfire aid from afflicted Californians until he found out that some of those people voted for him. The Trump family’s callous response California’s plight is the harbinger of an upcoming presidency that will, like before, make cruelty and neglect official disaster relief policies—and disaster victims will suffer for it.