President Trump’s war of words with Democrats over the homelessness crises plaguing progressive strongholds, particularly California and New York, continued over the weekend. The president took to Twitter Saturday to offer some federal help with the escalating problem of homelessness in the Democrat-controlled states, but on one condition: they’ve got to learn some manners.
Trump’s feud with Democratic leaders over the growing number of homeless people in the two highest population Democrat-run states — which has reached a critical point in California over the last year, with some 60,000 homeless people now living in Los Angeles County alone — ratcheted up in recent days after California Gov. Gavin Newsom attempted to shift some of the blame for the growing crisis to the Trump administration.
Trump’s Department of Housing and Urban Development, Newsom suggested, bears some of the blame for the problem. The department is “not serious” about the issue because they are not prioritizing “housing first,” as he believes they should.
In spin room at #DemDebate, @GavinNewsom slams Trump Administration and HUD for doing “nothing” on “housing first,” the priority to solve homelessness. pic.twitter.com/AQXRHUwZys
— Carla Marinucci (@cmarinucci) December 20, 2019
Trump did not appreciate the attempt to put the crisis, which has been many years in the making in California, on his administration.
“Governor Gavin [Newsom] has done a really bad job on taking care of the homeless population in California,” Trump said in a Christmas Day response to a tweet highlighting Newsom’s comments (tweet below). “If he can’t fix the problem, the Federal Govt. will get involved!”
Trump addressed the issue again on Saturday, this time offering the government’s help in a slightly different tone.
“California and New York must do something about their TREMENDOUS Homeless problems,” he tweeted. “They are setting records! If their Governors can’t handle the situation, which they should be able to do very easily, they must call and ‘politely’ ask for help. Would be so easy with competence!”
Governor Gavin N has done a really bad job on taking care of the homeless population in California. If he can’t fix the problem, the Federal Govt. will get involved! https://t.co/2z8zM37PUA
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 25, 2019
California and New York must do something about their TREMENDOUS Homeless problems. They are setting records! If their Governors can’t handle the situation, which they should be able to do very easily, they must call and “politely” ask for help. Would be so easy with competence!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2019
Trump’s Christmas Day tweet was posted in response to Fox Nation host Tomi Lahren calling out Newsom for the blame-shifting. “Take accountability, Gavin,” she wrote. “This is your state and you and your democratic cohorts created this mess. You can’t blame [President Trump] forever. Step away from the hair gel and get to work!!!”
As highlighted by Big Think, research reported by the Los Angeles Times, paints a grim picture of the state of California, where some of its biggest cities have seen a massive spike in homelessness over the last year. In the city of Los Angeles, the homeless population has topped 36,000 and is nearing 60,000 in the county:
Los Angeles County now boasts nearly 59,000 homeless, a 12 percent increase from last year. In the city itself, there are over 36,000 homeless, representing a 16 percent increase. The city estimates that 75 percent of this number, roughly 44,000 citizens, live outdoors.
It’s not only Los Angeles. Orange County has noted a 42 percent uptick in homeless residents, mostly due to new, more comprehensive counting measures. In nearby Alameda County, the number of homeless is up 43 percent; in Kern County, a whopping 50 percent. Further upstate, San Francisco’s homeless population has seen a 17 percent increase.