President-elect Donald Trump, who has long blamed Democratic leaders in the Golden State for their forest management and handling of wildfires, has received multiple invitations from elected officials in recent days to tour the wildfire zones in Southern California.
If and when he will come is another matter.
As of midday Monday, Jan. 13, neither the Trump team nor state and local elected officials who invited the incoming president to California had announced any definitive plans for Trump to travel to Los Angeles.
Gov. Gavin Newsom — a frequent critic of Trump who previously raised concerns that the incoming president might withhold federal disaster aid to California for political reasons — on Friday invited Trump to witness the devastation firsthand. The governor asked Trump to come to meet with people affected by the fires and said, “We must not politicize human tragedy or spread disinformation from the sidelines.”
Following Newsom’s invitation, L.A. County Supervisor Board Chair Kathryn Barger sent her own letter to Trump urging him to visit Southern California. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said she joined in on that invitation.
Both Barger and Bass said during a Sunday press conference that they have spoken with members of the incoming Trump administration but not to the president-elect himself.
Still, both expressed optimism that Trump would make the trip to Southern California, where more than 39,000 acres have been scorched and tens of thousands of homes and businesses, so far, have burned or been destroyed as a result of deadly wildfires that started nearly a week ago.
Barger told reporters she invited Trump “to see the devastation of these wildfires firsthand, to meet with our impacted residents and hear their stories, to thank our first responders and most importantly, to see how the federal government can help our communities heal and rebuild.”
“I look forward to welcoming President-elect Trump to our communities so he can see the desperate need,” she said, later adding, “I’m confident that this president will come.”
Bass, meanwhile, said she had a “fine call” with members of the incoming Trump administration and said she was not concerned about potential “animosity” with the soon-to-be president. She noted that a number of her former colleagues in Congress are up for posts in the second Trump administration.
“I feel like I would have good relations there,” said Bass, who served for over a decade in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Bass characterized her conversation with Trump’s representatives as “positive” and said it involved a discussion about the possible timing of a Trump visit.
Trump’s communications team did not immediately respond to an email asking if he had plans to visit L.A.
Vice President-elect JD Vance said in an interview with “Fox News Sunday” over the weekend, “I know the president would love to visit California,” though he did not elaborate on specific plans.
Trump has also been posting about the fires on his social media platform, Truth Social.
“The incompetent pols have no idea how to put them out. Thousands of magnificent houses are gone, and many more will soon be lost. There is death all over the place. This is one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our Country. They just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong with them?” a post on Saturday read.
Trump, in another post last week, criticized Democrats while noting how quickly the flames were spreading. That post said: “Gross incompetence by Gavin Newscum and Karen Bass….And Biden’s FEMA has no money — all wasted on the Green New Scam! L.A. is a total wipeout!!!”
President Joe Biden, who was in Southern California last week for an unrelated event planned before the fires erupted, ended up having to scuttle those plans due to the firestorms. Biden delivered remarks from a Santa Monica fire station instead, alongside Newsom, where he made a major disaster declaration and announced that he had approved funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help with firefighting efforts.
Biden also released a statement Monday, saying he had directed his administration “to respond promptly to any request for additional federal firefighting assistance.”
“At my direction, hundreds of federal personnel and unique federal aerial and ground support has been sent to California to support the firefighting efforts and help communities in need,” Biden said. “My administration remains laser-focused on helping survivors, and we will continue to use every tool available to support the urgent firefight as the winds are projected to increase.”
Biden has just one week left in office before Trump will be sworn in as the next president.