President Donald Trump flew into enemy territory on Friday, visiting California as part of a tour of natural disasters that doubled as a victory lap.
He toured an area of leveled homes and blackened trees to see the extraordinary damage for himself.
And then he clashed with the city’s Democratic mayor and a liberal lawmaker over how to go about building thousands of homes destroyed by ferocious fires after hearing from families who said that regulations were stopping them beginning the work of rebuilding.
‘They just said they can’t start for 18 months,’ he said during a discussion in a Pacific Palisades fire house.
Mayor Karen Bass said she had cut regulations: ‘You can hold me to that.’
But she said safety had to be a paramount concern.
‘You know first, we have to get rid of hazardous waste,’ she said. ‘We are expediting everything. We need your help.’
‘Sure, you have it’, said Trump.
President Donald Trump talks with California Gov. Gavin Newsom after arriving on Air Force One at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, on Friday
Trump spoke with residents as he toured a fire-affected area in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles
Marine One, carrying US President Donald Trump, flies above devastation caused by wildfires around Los Angeles, California, on Friday
These were his people, he continued saying that he understood them. People who knew how to rebuild their homes safely.
‘They want to start now, they want to start cleaning up,’ he said. ‘You said hazardous waste – what is that? You have to define it. Are we gonna go through a whole series of questions on defining it.’
Their voices raised in volume as the red-tape cutting property developer met a city leader who wasn’t going to sacrifice safety for speed.
He had the room, with dozens of firefighters, law enforcement officers, and people who had lost everything on his side.
And loyal ally Ric Grenell, once his ambassador to Germany and a top intelligence official in his first administration, led the applause, as one half of America met the other.
It was always going to be a tricky meeting.
Trump has threatened to withhold aid and in the morning repeated a false claim that Governor Gavin Newsom had refused to provide water to fight the fires in Los Angeles.
It was the second half of a disaster tour after visiting Asheville, North Carolina, devastated by Hurricane Helene last year.
U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend a briefing on wildfire damage as they visit the Pacific Palisades neighborhood that was damaged by the Palisades Fire
Marine One, carrying US President Donald Trump, flies above devastation
A helicopter from the fleet carrying President Donald Trump flies over an area devastated by the Palisades Fire, in Pacific Palisades
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass after a fire briefing
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass watches as President Donald Trump talks after a briefing
There he met with families who watched parts of their homes simply float away.
And he mulled the idea of disbanding the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
‘FEMA has turned out to be a disaster,’ he said during a tour. ‘I think we recommend that FEMA go away.’
He repeatedly suggested the best way to respond to emergencies was to trust states to get on with the job themselves, sidestepping the federal bureaucracy.
It was Trump’s first trip since reclaiming the White House on Monday. It was part lap of honor and part a chance to show that he was governing for all Americans, whether they live in blue or red states.
Traveling journalists were given a four-page readout of his achievements during his first 100 hours in office – all held together with a gold-colored paperclip.
And Trump seemed in good humor throughout, repeatedly seeking out his travelling press pool to answer questions and give his thoughts on disaster relief.
Friday’s blue state was always going to be more of a challenge than North Carolina.
The president flew over an area of leveled homes and blackened trees to see the extraordinary damage for himself
The president flew over the devastation before heading to an area on the ground
Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California, on his way to Las Vegas, Nevada
U.S. President Donald Trump and Ric Grenell, Presidential Envoy for Special Missions, attend a briefing on wildfire damage
He has poured scorn on the city and state leadership, blaming them for a poor response to wildfires that have killed at least 28 people and caused billions of dollars of damage.
But it began with a moment of détente as he stepped off Air Force One at Los Angeles International Airport and gave a half hug to Governor Newsom, nicknamed ‘Newscum’ by the president.
Afterward, Trump told reporters traveling with him that he was grateful the governor came to welcome him.
‘We’re looking to get something completed, and the way you get it completed is to work together with he governor of the state and we’re going to get it completed,’ he said.
He then got an aerial view of the rebuilding task ahead as Marine One flew over ash-filled hills to Pacific Palisades, one of the worst affected areas.
He was taken to Fiske Street where not a house was left standing. All that remained where chimney stacks, looking for all the world like medieval ruins of abbeys in Europe, where just the stone columns dot the landscape.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk with Jason Hing, Chief Deputy of Emergency Services at the Los Angles Fire Department, left, and Capt. Jeff Brown, Chief of Station 69, as they tour the Pacific Palisades neighborhood affected by recent wildfires in LA
Trump and first lady Melania walk with Jason Hing, Chief Deputy of Emergency Services at the Los Angles Fire Department, left, and Capt. Jeff Brown, Chief of Station 69,
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump spoke with Los Angeles firefighters
Trump took the time to greet LA firefighters during a tour of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood
Trump and wife Melania moved down the line of LA firefighters to speak with each of them
‘It’s really not believable,’ was his brief characterization of what he’d been shown.
He met two families who stood outside their empty lots with pictures of what their homes once looked like.
And he posed for photos with some of the firefighters who have risked their lives to tackle the blazes.
His first interactions with Bass seemed friendly enough. They shook hands warmly and she sat just to his right, separated from the president by the first lady.
‘Thank you Karen Bass. It’s nice to meet you,’ he said as he welcomed the participants.
But the differences between the Republican president and the mostly Democratic officials soon became clear.
When Rep. Brad Sherman asked that tariffs be removed from building materials, Trump’s response was testy: ‘We’ll look at that,’ he said.
Tariffs are a key cornerstone of his foreign and economic policies.
Worse was to follow when Sherman tried to defend FEMA, which Trump has branded variously as incompetent or corrupt.
They spoke over each other, much to Trump’s evident irritation. He raised his voice to drown out Sherman.
‘If you use FEMA you’ll be here for a long time,’ he said, cutting off his opponent.