Trump says he sent the military into California to turn the water on. That didn’t happen

On Monday night, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social, the social media platform he owns, to falsely claim that the U.S. military entered California and “turned on the water.”

“The days of putting a Fake Environmental argument, over the PEOPLE, are OVER. Enjoy the water, California!!!” the president added.

None of that happened.

The California Department of Water Resources later used social media to debunk the president’s false claim.

“The military did not enter California. The federal government restarted federal water pumps after they were offline for maintenance for three days. State water supplies in Southern California remain plentiful,” the department posted.

The remarks come just days after Trump visited Southern California and toured the damage inflicted by several wildfires in the region. It also comes on the heels of an executive order Trump signed that is intended to divert more California water to Central Valley farmers.

Trump has frequently, and falsely, claimed that state water management has led to a shortage in water affecting the firefighting efforts in Los Angeles. That is not true. Statewide water supplies are currently sufficient.

This story was originally published January 28, 2025 at 7:05 AM with the headline "Trump says he sent the military into California to turn the water on. That didn’t happen."