Trump outlandishly promises that, under the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, companies will not leave America. He adds, "Call me a nationalist if you'd like, but I don't want companies leaving."
Trump is telling a long story about how he knew California's water practices were bad when he visited the state with Nunes and saw all the "dry, horrible...all dry land" on farms, with just a little green "spots." Then he says this happened three and a half or four years ago.
Trump complains about California water: "They send it out into the Pacific Ocean." That is where the water naturally goes. He is comprehensively mis-describing the debate about water allocation and smelt protection. He says he still doesn't know what a smelt is.
Trump: "We're tired of giving California hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars all the time for their forest fires when you wouldn't have them if they managed their forests properly. They don't. They have lousy management."
The president is now telling a long story about how California's stupidity is responsible for its forest fires. He concludes, "California, get on the ball. Because we're not gonna hand you any more money. It's ridiculous."
Trump calls on a man in the audience at his White House state leadership event to talk about this California fires-and-farms subject. He says he has no idea who the man is but that he is good-looking and seems like he knows what he's talking about.
Trump: "I know California well. And I see houses, beautiful houses, people are very proud of their house. THEIR LAWN IS BROWN. It's dead. It's dying, it's dead. And they end up taking it out and just have SAND in front of their houses."
Trump says California actually has huge amounts of water and it's disgraceful that people have to have non-grass lawns. "You have so much, you don't know what to do with it. It it is a disgrace."
Trump calls up EPA chief Andrew Wheeler to tell him to make things easier for oil ships in Texas, an issue he said people in the business were complaining about to him last night.
Trump with his usual completely nonsensical complaint: "When I was growing up you had vocational schools...We've gotten rid of vocational schools, and we've replaced them with community colleges." They. Are. Different. Things.
The president complains that community colleges teach English and Latin. His suggestion is that these silly places have replaced good old-fashioned vocational schools. They have not.
Trump tells his usual lies that part of The Wall has been built and that San Diego was begging him for The Wall. San Diego's council and Republican mayor oppose the project.
Over their alleged forest management practices
Trump has concluded his speech. That was an address to the White House State Leadership Day Conference. I'll post the transcript of the California part when it's out, because that was something.
