President Donald Trump flew to Los Angeles on Friday to meet with California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom and local leaders to assess the horrific damage inflicted on Southern California in the wake of the devastating fires that destroyed scenic areas like Pacific Palisades and Malibu.
The president, accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, greeted Gov. Newsom after deplaning Air Force One, where they briefly stopped to speak with the press before taking Marine One to a scheduled briefing.
“We’re going to be taking a little tour with some of the people from the area – I appreciate the governor coming out and meeting me,” he said.
The president remarked that it looked like Southern California had been “hit by a bomb” based on the overwhelming devastation.
Gov. Newsom remarked to Trump, “You were there for us during Covid. I don’t forget that.”
He also repeatedly patted the president on the back and indicated that he was confident they could “work this out to get a speedy recovery.”
Newsom has come under intense criticism for his leadership in California that has ultimately led to repeated fires in the state. President Trump said earlier on Friday that he had placed two conditions on Newsom receiving federal aid: implement voter ID and allow stored water to flow freely throughout Los Angeles and the state.
The president told reporters that he would work with Newsom to get the fire problem in California “permanently fixed so it can’t happen again.”
“They’re going to need a lot of federal help,” he added with a smile. “Unless you don’t need any?”
President Trump and the First Lady then took a tour of a devastated California neighborhood in Pacific Palisades, where they met with residents who had lost homes in the area. The landscape was an eerie site – pockmarked with charred trees the skeletal beams of destroyed houses.
The president also spoke with law enforcement and fire officials as he moved through the neighborhood and asked them questions about the fire and its aftermath.
He additionally met with members of the Los Angeles Fire Department and shook hands with everyone assembled.
Later, the First Couple was slated to join state and local leaders like California Congressman Kevin Kiley (R) and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for a briefing on the devastation.