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President Donald Trump travelled to California on Friday to survey the destruction from deadly wildfires that devastated several communities in the Los Angeles area earlier this month.
The visit, coming at the end of Trump’s first week back in office, took place as he continued to denounce the state emergency response being led by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom – one of Trump’s fiercest critics – and worries the president might withhold aid over policies in the liberal state.
Despite the political rivalry, Newsom greeted Trump on the tarmac as he emerged from Air Force One, arriving from North Carolina where he toured damage from Hurricane Helene, which rocked the western part of the state in September.
Trump’s visit came as new fires ignited in southern California, and local officials continue to contend with dry and windy weather conditions that favour fire growth.
Speaking to reporters after shaking hands with Newsom, Trump said: “I appreciate the governor coming out and meeting me”.
“We want to get it fixed,” he continued, telling Newsom that aftermath looks “like you got hit by a bomb”.
Newsom, who Trump has nicknamed “Newscum”, then thanked Trump for coming to visit, telling him: “We’re going to need your support, we’re going to need your help”.
“You were there for us during Covid, I don’t forget that, and I have all the expectations that we’ll be able to work together to get this speedy recovery,” Newsom continued.
Trump then toured the ruins of Pacific Palisades neighbourhood with his wife Melania, and then attended a roundtable discussion with local leaders, including LA Mayor Karen Bass. He vowed to sign an executive order that would pump water from northern parts of the state to the south.
He quarrelled briefly with Mayor Bass after she said that residents must be patient – because clean-up crews need time to clear “hazardous waste” such as toxic ash from things like lead, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and asbestos – before they can return to their homes.
“California does not usually require ID to vote but does to register to vote,” Trump said earlier.
Conditioning aid for American citizens is wrong, Newsom’s office said in a statement on social media.
The city is set to host both the 2028 Summer Olympics and Fifa World Cup matches in 2026 – two global events that will thrust the Los Angeles region into the spotlight.
Trump has also been critical of the work done by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) – which is tasked with responding to such disasters – under the Biden administration.
He has suggested getting rid of the agency and letting US states manage disasters in their jurisdictions.
Rain is expected over the weekend in the county, as well as snow up in the mountains of southern California.
However, while this will aid firefighting efforts, there are concerns that it could also cause flooding and dislodge debris from the fires, creating mudslides.
Specialist crews have been working to try and secure burned areas, while sandbags and other flood prevention supplies have been handed out to locals so that they can protect their properties.
Twenty-three people died in 2018 when mudslides hit the California town of Montecito, one of the areas that had recently been affected by the Thomas Fire.
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