Melanie King calls Gavin Newsom the "biggest beneficiary" of Palisades wildfire: Details explored

YouTube personality Melanie King recently called out Gavin Newsom after authorities arrested a man accused of sparking the devastating Palisades wildfire, which decimated the Los Angeles area. According to the BBC, a 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of starting the blazing fire in Los Angeles that killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January 2025.

On Wednesday, October 8, 2025, the media personality took to her official X account and called out the governor of California, Gavin Newsom. She noted:

“A lone wolf from Florida set the fires in The Pacific Palisades.” GTFOH Gavin Newsom was the biggest beneficiary of the wildfires. Ask him and his wife where the $100 million of relief aid went? Time to get back into this investigation.”

The Palisades wildfire was one of the most destructive blazes in LA history. The fire erupted on January 7 near a hiking trail. It reportedly scorched more than 23,000 acres and caused about $150bn in damage.

Notably, there was another fire, the Eaton Fire, which ignited on the same day in the LA area. It killed another 19 people and destroyed 9,400 structures.

Meanwhile, Rinderknecht was reportedly arrested in Florida on Tuesday. Acting US Attorney Bill Essayli told a news conference on Wednesday that the man was charged with destruction of property by means of fire.

The BBC cited a report by justice department officials, which claimed that the evidence collected from Jonathan Rinderknecht's digital devices included an image that he generated on ChatGPT depicting a burning city.

Notably, on Wednesday, Rinderknecht appeared in court in Florida and did not enter a plea. The man is not expected to enter an official plea until his arraignment hearing in the coming weeks in LA.

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Gavin Newsom calls out Donald Trump over lack of aid for the Palisades wildfire

Gavin Newsom (Image via Getty)

According to Deadline, Gavin Newsom praised the U.S. Department of Justice and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for apprehending Jonathan Rinderknecht for starting the Palisades Fire. However, the 57-year-old American politician also called out US President Donald Trump and Congress for failing to provide enough federal disaster aid to those impacted.

Gavin Newsom said at a news conference:

“We need to call out why the President of the United States and Congress has refused to provide relief to those victimized by this arsonist… Thirty-nine billion dollars — for months — and the President has said nothing. The Speaker of the House has said he’s not interested in helping the American people that were devastated here in Los Angeles.”

Deadline also reported that Newsom had asked for $40B from Congress in February. The money was asked to cover housing costs and infrastructure, low-interest loans, economic development grants, grants to dislocated workers, brush clearance, unemployment assistance, forest management, and more.

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For the unversed, the Palisades wildfire wiped out whole neighbourhoods. The conflagration, which raged for more than three weeks, also ravaged parts of Topanga and Malibu. The fire reportedly destroyed the homes of a number of celebrities, including Paris Hilton, Mel Gibson, and Jeff Bridges.

Edited by Afreen Shaikh