President Trump visits Los Angeles, tours Palisades Fire damage
Trump noted that he is a property owner in California and is committed to helping the fire-affected communities rebuild.
LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- President Donald Trump, who has blamed what he calls faulty water management for contributing to California wildfires and suggested conditioning federal recovery dollars on changes in state political policies, toured the fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades Friday and vowed to "open the coffers" of the federal government and waive federal permits to expedite the rebuilding process.
"I don't think you can realize how rough it is, how devastating it is until you see it," Trump said of the fire damage. "I didn't realize. I saw a lot of bad things on television, but the extent of it, the size of it. We flew over it... it is devastation. It's incredible, it's really an incineration. Even some of the chimneys came down. When you have chimneys come down you know that's pretty hot stuff and a lot of them were down."
In a meeting with local, state and congressional leaders following the tour, Trump assured them "the federal government is standing behind you 100%." He noted that the fires are "already the most expensive natural disaster, they say, in American history. That's pretty amazing."
WATCH: Trump greets Newsom in Los Angeles before touring wildfire damage
Trump vowed to "essentially waive all federal permits," noting that the permitting process can often hold up projects for 10 years, and he asked local authorities for assurances that local permitting also be expedited or waived - something Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass assured Trump was already being done.
Trump noted that he is a property owner in California and is committed to helping the fire-affected communities rebuild.
"There can be no Golden Age without the Golden State, it's a great state," he said. "It's a fantastic place. We're going to have a big celebration soon, we're going to come back, come back as much as you need, and we're going to turn it around. We're going to open the coffers. You know, America wants this to be taken care of."
RELATED: Trump says he wants voter ID laws as condition for wildfire aid for California
Trump was greeted Friday afternoon at Los Angeles International Airport by longtime political nemesis Gov. Gavin Newsom. The pair shook hands as the president deplaned from Air Force One with the first lady, and they spoke privately before addressing a group of reporters.
"I appreciate the governor coming out and meeting me very much, and we'll be talking," Trump said. "We want to get it fixed. We want to get the problem fixed... It's like you got hit by a bomb. It's like you got hit by a bomb."
Newsom responded, "Most importantly, thank you for being here. It means a great deal to all of us. Not just the folks in Palisades, but folks in Altadena that were devastated. 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."
Asked about his longtime political disagreements with the Democratic governor, the Republican Trump tried to offer assurances that the pair would work in tandem.
"We're looking to get something completed, and the way you get it completed is to work together," Trump said. "He's the governor of this state. And we're going to get it completed, and you're going to need a lot of federal help."
Trump then boarded the Marine One helicopter and took an aerial tour of the Palisades Fire area. After that brief tour, he was taken to a neighborhood where he and Melania Trump walked along Sunset Boulevard, a section of street lined with destroyed homes. They were accompanied by Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Jeff Brown, chief of Station 69 in Pacific Palisades, and Jason Hing, LAFD chief deputy of emergency services.
Trump and the first lady then met and spoke with Palisades residents Emily Bianchi and Mike and Gabi Shaw.
As they continued to walk along Sunset, Trump could be heard saying, "Unbelievable. It's really not believable."
They both then greeted firefighters at Station 69 and posed for a photo. Trump was presented with an LAFD battalion chief helmet that included his name and the number 47 - as the 47th president.
Speaking to reporters Friday morning at the White House before departing for hurricane-ravaged parts of North Carolina and Los Angeles, Trump again repeated his assertions that California is diverting water away from the Los Angeles area and that the move hampered the firefighting effort.
Trump said he was going to "take a look at a fire that could have been put out if they let the water flow but they didn't let the water flow and they still haven't, for whatever reason."
After he landed at Asheville Airport in North Carolina, Trump was asked what he wants to see from California leaders as he considered continued federal recovery funding.
"I want to see two things in Los Angeles -- Voter ID so that the people have a chance to vote, and I want to see the water be released and come down into Los Angeles and throughout the state," he said. "Those are the two things. After that I will be the greatest president that California has ever seen.
"I want the water to come down and come down to Los Angeles, and also go out to all the farmland that's barren and dry. You know, they have land that they say is equivalent to the land in Iowa, which is about as good as there is anywhere on Earth. The problem is it's artificial because they artificially stop the water from going on to the land.
"So I want two things - I want Voter ID for the people of California, and they all want it. Right now you don't have Voter ID. People want to have voter identification. You want to have proof of citizenship. Ideally you have one-day voting. But I just want Voter ID as a start and I want the water to be released, and they're going to get a lot of help from the U.S."
Trump has repeatedly insisted without explanation that he believes the state's diversion of water to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in Northern California contributed to water-shortage issues faced by firefighters battling the Palisades Fire. He contends the state is prioritizing endangered fish in the delta over people by diverting water that should be allowed to flow to Southern California, but instead flows into the Pacific Ocean.
Newsom was quick to respond to Trump's Friday morning comments, with his office reiterating on X that "California pumps as much water now as it could under prior Trump-era policies."
The governor's office also stated, "Under current CA law you must be a CA resident and US citizen (and attest to being one under penalty of perjury) AND provide a form of ID such as driver's license or passport that has been approved by the Secretary of State in order to register to vote."
The governor's office added, "Conditioning aid for American citizens is wrong."
State officials and environmental groups have blasted Trump's claims about water management being tied to the firefighting effort as misinformation.
Bruce Reznik, executive director of the advocacy group L.A. Waterkeeper, issued a statement saying Trump has a "faulty understanding of the state's water system."
"Every American should be clear about what the president is doing here: In a time of extreme crisis and tragedy, he is using this emergency to line the pockets of his wealthy benefactors -- in this case, industrial agricultural producers in the San Joaquin Valley -- at the expense of the rest of us," Reznik said.
"Water is a big business in California, and it's no surprise that this president is focused on further enriching the rich rather than meeting the needs of everyday Californians."
The group Restore the Delta, which advocates for the environmental protections in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, issued a statement saying Trump's assertion "grossly misrepresents the reality of California's water system and the needs of its residents."
"President Trump's claims that Delta water protections cause water shortages and exacerbate wildfires are false," according to the group. "Experts agree that Southern California's water challenges stem from climate-driven drought and infrastructure constraints - not protections for fish or the Delta.
"This misinformation ignores that Los Angeles reservoirs are currently full and Delta water sustains essential ecosystems and local economies."
Trump did not visit the Eaton Fire area in Altadena during his visit.
In his briefing with local officials following his Palisades tour, Trump repeated his plans to issue an executive order calling on water to flow from Northern California to the Los Angeles area. He also repeated his contentions that California is lagging in forest management and failing to "rake" forest floors that he said can quickly turn into tinder boxes.
Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, whose district includes Pacific Palisades, told Trump during the briefing that many people affected by the fires had their insurance canceled, and he called for dramatic federal appropriations for rebuilding programs. But Sherman also took issue with Trump's earlier suggestions about such funding being conditioned on items such as Voter ID.
Sherman said he supported relief funding in states such as Louisiana and North Dakota -- despite having political policies he opposes.
"I would never turn to somebody from Louisiana and say, you keep living on your cousin's couch, because we're not going to help you rebuild until Louisiana agrees with me on a woman's right to choose. So I'm hoping we can get these funds, and we don't punish individuals for the policies of their state."
Sherman also asked Trump to consider holding off on imposing tariffs on construction materials for three years to ensure rebuilding can progress quickly. Trump said he would "take a look" at the suggestion.
Newsom did not take part in the briefing with Trump Friday evening. On Thursday, Newsom was in Pasadena to sign a package of legislation that will direct $2.5 billion in state relief and recovery funding to the fire areas. The governor, who has frequently clashed with Trump on a host of political fronts, said he hoped Trump will come to Los Angeles "with the spirit of cooperation and collaboration."
"That's the spirit (with) which we welcome him. I've said this many times - open hand, not a closed fist... We had a great relationship during COVID, well-established, well-defined. I don't think there was a Democratic governor in the country that worked more collaboratively with the president... That's my mindset when it comes to emergencies and disasters. No politics. No finger-pointing. We're going to have the backs of the people of this state, and I hope the president comes back after his visit tomorrow and is here for not just the short run, but the long haul."
Newsom also noted that debates over water policy and environmental policy are nothing new, saying those issues "have been litigated, adjudicated and politicized for as long as I've been alive." But Newsom took direct issue with Trump's claims about environmental policy impacting firefighting efforts in Southern California.
"I just, with respect, think it's incredibly important that people know the truth, because it's very damaging when people believe such misinformation," Newsom said. "And I don't mean it in a (maligning) sense. Maybe the president just doesn't know that there's not a spigot that can be turned to solve all the water problems that he alleges exist that don't exist as it relates to the state water system here in Southern California."
Trump departed Los Angeles Friday night, flying to Las Vegas.
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