CALIFORNIA — After initially refusing California Gov. Gavin Newsom's request for a disaster declaration for six major wildfires that collectively burned millions of acres, the Trump administration performed an abrupt about face Friday and approved the request.

President Trump's approval of the request came after Newsom announced the state had appealed the administration's decision.

"We are appealing this," Newsom tweeted, a day after the Trump decision was made public. 

One of the fires in question — August's Complex Fire in Northern California — is the largest in the state's history, having burned over one million acres and achieving so-called "gigafire" status. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Trump Administration turned down, and then approved, California's request for a disaster declaration for six major wildfires that are among the most devastating in state history

  • Gov. Gavin Newsom made the request in a Sept. 28 letter to President Donald Trump

  • The administration's about face on the matter came after Gov. Newsom appealed the decision

  • The president will be in Orange County on Sunday to attend a $150,000-per-couple fundraising event

"The request for a Major Presidential Disaster Declaration for early September fires has been denied by the federal administration," said Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office, speaking to CNN.

California is in the midst of the worst wildfire season in its history, with fires across the Golden State having burned over four million acres thus far — more than double the amount of acreage burned in the state's previous record year, 2018. Thousands of Northern California residents are currently without power after a utility cut service to prevent winds from damaging equipment and sparking wildfires during the state's latest heatwave.

Gov. Newsom sent a letter to President Trump on Sept. 28, requesting a Major Presidential Disaster Declaration to assist state and local wildlfire response and recovery efforts for six counties, including Fresno, Los Angeles, Madera, Mendocino, Santa Barbara, San Diego, and Siskiyou.

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President Trump's refusal to sanction a disaster declaration and relief is the latest incident highlighting his combative relationship with the state, one of the nation's most robust Democratic strongholds. The president has denied that climate change is behind California's increasingly devastating wildfires, repeatedly attacking the state for its forest management. This despite the fact that several of the more devastating of recent fires — including the Bobcat Fire — have occurred in national forests under the purview of the federal government.

Trump's refusal to sanction disaster relief comes on the heels of the announcement that the president will be in Orange County on Sunday to appear at a fundraising event that costs $150,000 per couple to attend.