Trump to Visit California Friday Following Wildfire Destruction
“It would be more appropriate for me to go as president,” Trump remarked after reflecting on a previous trip.
President-elect Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he plans to visit the Los Angeles area—devastated by wildfires since early January—on Friday after his inauguration ceremony on Monday.
As of January 17, the wildfires have resulted in at least 27 fatalities and the destruction of over 10,000 structures in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods. Last week, officials estimated that the total number of damaged or destroyed structures throughout the Los Angeles area exceeds 12,000.
“This evening, I want to extend our love to everyone impacted by the devastating wildfires in California. We are praying for you all. We love you all, and we’re coming very soon. I’ll be out there on Friday to assess the situation,” Trump stated during his victory rally in Washington. “To help with recovery, we will enlist some of the finest builders in the world to get things moving again.”
In a Saturday interview with NBC, Trump mentioned that he had thought about visiting California the day prior but concluded that “it would be better if I went as president.”
“It feels a bit more fitting, I believe,” he added.
Over the nearly two weeks of destruction, Trump criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom, implying that his policies were to blame for water shortages hindering fire-relief efforts. Newsom dismissed Trump’s assertions and invited him to visit the area last week.
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Governor Newsom stated that people should not “politicize human tragedy or disseminate misinformation from the sidelines.”
Trump further criticized Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for her handling of the fires and implied that his predecessor President Joe Biden left the Federal Emergency Management Agency operating with an inadequate budget.
Starting January 7, the wildfires intensified due to dry weather and fierce Santa Ana winds, which reached hurricane-strength gusts of up to 80 mph in some parts of San Bernardino County earlier this month. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning last week when wind gusts hit 70 mph around the Los Angeles region.
Authorities advised most evacuees on January 16 to stay away from their homes for at least another week. Total damage estimates range from $20 billion to $40 billion, with rental rates soaring and many residents facing uncertainty regarding insurance claims.
Private forecaster AccuWeather estimates total damages and economic losses to fall between $250 billion and $275 billion, making these wildfires the most expensive natural disaster in U.S. history, surpassing Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Since April 2024, Southern California has received little to no significant rainfall, resulting in dry vegetation that fuels the ferocious Santa Ana winds, capable of carrying embers as far as two miles ahead of the flames.
With whole neighborhoods reduced to ash and debris, many homes are left with only a chimney standing.
“Seeing it on television is one thing, but witnessing it from the air is completely another. The sheer scale of destruction is unimaginable until you actually observe it,” Bass commented during a press conference last week after surveying the destruction from above.
Reuters contributed to this report.