In early 2025, California faced a series of devastating wildfires that ravaged vast areas of the state—particularly its southern regions. Two weeks after the fires broke out in Los Angeles, President Donald Trump issued an executive order mandating the release of 2.2 billion gallons of water from reservoirs in the Central Valley. This directive was presented as a measure to combat the wildfires. However, a closer examination reveals that the action was motivated more by politics than by emergency, ultimately undermining California’s water management authority, favoring agribusiness interests, and jeopardizing the state’s environmental and water resources.