[Hoot Gibson]

Trump tells Californians that they are not experiencing a drought. This is just another example of Trump failing to do his homework before opening his big mouth. The message should have been that federal policies have failed to mitigate the impact of the drought.

Trump does not seem to grasp that his media coverage will be much different now that he is the presumptive GOP nominee. There is no excuse for making such blatantly false statements that become fodder for negative headlines. The issue with government's choice to protect the Delta Smelt over farmers in the Central Valley should be a winning one for Trump. Instead of taking advantage of the issue by demonstrating his understanding, he just reinforces his image as a buffoon.

Trump should abandon California. He has zero chance of winning the state in November.

Donald Trump tells Californians there is no drought

California suffered one of its driest years in 2015. And last year the state hit its driest four-year period on record.

But Donald Trump isn't sold. The presumptive GOP nominee told supporters in Fresno, Calif., on Friday night that no such dry spell exists.

Trump said state officials were simply denying water to Central Valley farmers to prioritize the Delta smelt, a native California fish nearing extinction — or as Trump called it, "a certain kind of three-inch fish.”

“We’re going to solve your water problem. You have a water problem that is so insane. It is so ridiculous where they’re taking the water and shoving it out to sea,” Trump told thousands of supporters at the campaign event.

Yes, there is a drought

A series of graphics from the Los Angeles Times shows the progression of the drought from 2011 through today, using data from the U.S. Drought Monitor, a federal website that tracks the dry conditions. The drought worsened in 2014 and 2015 and has marginally subsided this year.