When your house burns down, and you lose all your possessions and precious memories, and your life is ripped asunder, the last thing you need is a heartless insurance company refusing to pay up even after you’ve been dutifully sending them thousands of dollars over the years for your overpriced policy.
Yet that’s exactly what many Californians have been reporting has happened to them following the disastrous fires that destroyed the neighborhoods of Pacific Palisades and Altadena in 2025, leaving 16,000 structures destroyed and 28 people dead.
Donald Trump put insurance companies squarely on notice Tuesday that he’s been paying attention to the issue, and he wants answers. “People have been paying them large premiums for years, only to find that when tragedy struck, these horrendous companies were not there to help!” the president wrote on social media.
"I have just met with various Political Representatives of the tragedy that took place in California concerning the burning of thousands of once beautiful homes... Insurance Companies, in particular, State Farm, have been absolutely horrible to people that have been paying them… pic.twitter.com/En2O1ajqvz
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 31, 2026
Here’s his Truth Social post in full:
I have just met with various Political Representatives of the tragedy that took place in California concerning the burning of thousands of once beautiful homes. It was brought to my attention that the Insurance Companies, in particular, State Farm, have been absolutely horrible to people that have been paying them large Premiums for years, only to find that when tragedy struck, these horrendous Companies were not there to help! I have asked the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, to give me a list of the Companies who acted swiftly, courageously, and bravely in order to make their clients happy and, even more importantly, in order to fulfill their Legal obligations. Likewise, I have asked to see those Companies that were particularly bad. The names of some surprise me, but in the World in which we live, nothing really surprises me! State Farm, and others, should get their act together, and treat people fairly. The Government is looking into this matter as we speak! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Trump Calls Into Fox News Show, Obliterates Failed CA Gov. Gavin Newsom As Only He Can
How about you try to be a good neighbor, State Farm, Trump said, adding that the administration was taking a long look at the situation:
Trump said he has tasked Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin with producing a report that lists which companies acted “swiftly, courageously, and bravely” to honor their legal obligations, and which ones fell short.
“The names of some surprise me, but in the world in which we live, nothing really surprises me!” he added.
Trump added that the government was “looking into this matter as we speak.”
“State Farm, and others, should get their act together, and treat people fairly,” he wrote.
VICTIMIZED TWICE: California Fire Victims Get Another Slap in the Face As Insurance Companies Pass Along Costs
There have been widespread reports of insurers playing hardball and refusing to help residents in their hour of need:
🔥🚨🔥 The embattled "California Fair Plan" insurance company, "the insurance of last resort," is so broke from the Palisades Fire that they're criminally splitting fire claims into TWO claims (fire & wind) to charge 2 deductibles!
— Houman David Hemmati, MD, PhD (@houmanhemmati) May 30, 2025
Here's a recent letter from them to a Malibu… pic.twitter.com/xlbLAHuOIQ
Here's a recent letter from them to a Malibu property owner: "...you report your home was damaged by the Palisades Fire. You also acknowledge that your home was damaged by a windstorm... For these two claims and losses, the facts support that there were two separate and different occurrences that took place...
So you have two separate occurrences, with two separate perils resulting in two separate losses and claim files, with both claim files having their own deductible involved."
All I know is that I live in Los Angeles, my insurance costs have more than doubled in recent years, and I don’t live anywhere near a fire zone. The state has created a dizzying regulatory climate for companies, and many have pulled out of California altogether.
In the short term, insurers have frozen policies and are facing increased pressure, with thousands of claims still unresolved. A year out, the long-term impact on the insurance industry remains unclear, but homeowners should be prepared for what is coming.
As of September 2025, insurers in Southern California had processed nearly 40,000 claims and paid more than $20 billion in response to the fires, according to the California Department of Insurance (CDI). While these numbers are enormous, outstanding claims remain, and the fallout from billions in losses is still being calculated. Those losses highlight the need to address risk.
We know the disinterested governor, Gavin Newsom, the feckless mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, and the jet-setting insurance commissioner, Ricardo Lara, will do nothing, so we welcome Trump’s intervention.
Maybe now we’re in good hands.
Editor’s Note: California is the poster child for everything that is wrong with the Democrat Party and the “progressive” movement.
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