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President Donald Trump declared a national emergency after touring the devastation Los Angeles fire with residents personally affected by the catastrophic event.
Trump traveled to Southern California On Friday, he surveyed the damage from the recent fires that destroyed more than 10,000 structures in the Los Angeles area and tragically claimed the lives of nearly 30 people.
Trump took an aerial tour of the area before landing, with pictures showing the once-ritzy neighborhood in ashes.
President and first lady Melania Trump then experienced the damage up close, meeting with local law enforcement and community members for a tour of the devastated Pacific Palisades neighborhoods.
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President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump tour a firehouse Friday in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Mandel and)
“Not even likely,” Trump told reporters at the scene.
Trump sat down at a round table with the mayor of La Mayor Karen Bass and other state officials. As the president entered the room, individuals were heard chanting “USA, USA, USA!” Bass greeted the president and said his presence was welcome.
“It’s an honor to be with you,” during the meeting, saying homeowners told him they wanted to renovate their homes in the area.
At one point, the president criticized the bass for not using his emergency powers to respond to the fires.
“You have emergency powers just like me … you have to exercise them,” Trump told Bass, who replied that she had exercised them.
Trump said he would sign an executive order to open the water valves in the area.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump meet with residents as they tour the fire-ravaged area of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles. (Mandel and)
“I don’t think you understand how rough it is, how devastating it is until you see it,” Trump said of the fire damage. “The federal government stands behind you, 100%.”
Trump said he would waive federal permits for redevelopment in the area. “I will be the president to help you fix it,” he said. “We’re waiving all federal permits … because a federal permit can take 10 years … we don’t want to take 10 days.”
After the fires broke out, Trump blamed Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic city politicians for the damage, citing their forest and water management policies.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump crashed on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday. (Swimming pool)
Newsom was waiting for Trump on the tarmac when he got out of the Air Force and was He saw her trembling with the president in their first face-to-face meeting since the inauguration.
“First of all, thank you for being here. It means a lot to all of us,” Newsom told Trump after they met on the tarmac at Lax in Los Angeles shortly after 3:00 p.m. local time. “We’re going to need your support. We’re going to need your help.”
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Speaking about his meeting with the News, Trump said “we had a good conversation, a very positive conversation.”
Trump traveled to North Carolina to tour hurricane damage, before heading to California for his first visit to the state since becoming president.
