Everything you need to know about Trump's 1st California visit

Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Everything you need to know about Trump's 1st CA visit
Here's everything you need to know about President Donald Trump's first visit to California as president.

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- From San Diego to Los Angeles, President Donald Trump made his first trip to California as president.

His first stop on Tuesday was in San Diego County to see the eight prototypes for his proposed border wall, even though questions remain about how the wall will be paid for. All eight models are between 18 to 30 feet high and 30 feet long. Four are made of concrete, while the others are made of alternate materials.

Trump was briefed on lessons learned from the prototypes' construction and met with border agents and officers to ask what they need, said Jonathan Hoffman, Homeland Security spokesman.

The president is determined to fulfill his campaign promise and will not be swayed by California Republican lawmakers concerned the wall is a waste of money, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Monday.

The first anti-Trump rally was held in San Diego at Chicano Park on Monday ahead of President Donald Trump's visit.

"The president campaigned on this, he talked about it extensively and he's the president and this is something that he is not going to back away from," she said. "It's something that he's going to continue to push for."

She declined to say whether Trump would pick a winning prototype during his visit.

After his San Diego visit, Trump flew in Air Force One to Los Angeles International Airport. From there, he boarded the Marine One helicopter to be transported into the city.

He is attending a fundraiser in the Beverly Hills area Tuesday night for his re-election campaign.

A protest organized by the political group Union Del Barrio took place in Beverly Hills Tuesday ahead of Trump's arrival at the fundraiser, where donors paid $250,000 to attend.

While stumping Saturday for a Republican candidate ahead of a Pennsylvania special election, President Donald Trump touted his new campaign slogan.

California Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday invited Trump to also visit the state's high-speed rail construction projects.

"You see, in California we are focusing on bridges, not walls," Brown, a Democrat, said in a letter sent to Trump.

Streets remained shut down in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday as President Donald Trump departed from his first visit ever to the city since taking office.

ROAD CLOSURES

  • Figueroa Street between 8th and 6th streets closed until 1 p.m. Wednesday
  • Wilshire Boulevard between Flower Street and Beaudry Avenue closed until 1 p.m. Wednesday
  • 7th Street between Flower and Bixel streets closed until 1 p.m. Wednesday

The Associated Press contributed to this report.