The man accused of sparking the deadly Palisades Fire on New Year’s Day in Southern California frequently made anti-Trump social media posts and shared how global warming was causing climate change.

One story Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, shared was from ProPublica, titled “Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration,” which pictured a hillside on fire in California.

He also shared another article, “Senator Kamala Harris Says Meat Is Destroying the Planet,” and posted a link to contribute to former President Joe Biden’s election campaign in 2020.

Rinderknecht’s other posts include pictures of Trump supporters crying after losing the 2020 election and a post that claimed President Donald Trump inherited a great economy from former President Barack Obama, saying he “destroyed it” during COVID-19.

Firefighters watch a helicopter drop water on the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon in Los Angeles Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Federal authorities said Rinderknecht worked as an Uber driver in Los Angeles from New Year’s Eve 2024 to New Year’s Day 2025, adding that two of his passengers expressed that “he appeared agitated and angry that night after dropping off a passenger in Pacific Palisades.”

After allegedly sparking the fire after parking at the Skull Rock trailhead, Rinderknecht called 911, then asked ChatGPT, “Are you at fault if a fire is lift [sic] because of your cigarettes?”

Flames from the Palisades Fire burn a building on Sunset Boulevard during a powerful windstorm Jan. 8, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Apu Gomes)

ChatGPT, according to the complaint, responded with “Yes,” and explained.

While prosecutors allege that Rinderknecht sparked the Lachman Fire, which was put out Jan. 2, heavy winds reignited underground embers, which sparked the Palisades Fire. In total, the Palisades Fire claimed the lives of 12 people and left many displaced.

Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.