President-elect Donald Trump’s team is engaged in conversations about his visiting Los Angeles to view the wildfire damage, two sources familiar with the discussions said.
Trump, who has repeatedly criticized local and state officials for their response to the fire, has been invited out by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Rep Judy Chu, also a Democrat, said Sunday on CBS News she intended to invite both Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., as well.
Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt declined to comment on the trip discussions.
It’s unclear whether Trump would go before or after his Jan. 20 inauguration.
The wind-fueled wildfires that began last week have killed at least 24 people and swept through 40,000 acres in the Greater Los Angeles area, destroying entire communities and more than 12,300 structures.
On “Fox News Sunday” this weekend, Vice President-elect JD Vance said he knew Trump “wants to visit California,” but offered no further details.
Trump has blamed Democrats for the widespread devastation in the Los Angeles area, including President Joe Biden, Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass. In a social media post last week, Trump wrote that Newsom and Bass’ “gross incompetence” led to a “total wipeout.”
Newsom has blasted Trump for “politicizing” the disaster and spreading misinformation, but invited him to tour the damage in a letter Friday.
“The hundreds of thousands of Americans — displaced from their homes and fearful for the future — deserve to see us all working together in their best interests, not politicizing a human tragedy and spreading disinformation from the sidelines,” Newsom wrote.
The governor told NBC News in a “Meet the Press” interview recorded Saturday that Trump had not yet responded to his letter.
The governor also said in the interview that he’s worried the president-elect may make good on his threats to withhold federal disaster aid from the state after his inauguration, citing Trump’s past efforts to halt aid to states with leaders he was feuding with.
“He’s done it in Utah. He’s done it in Michigan, did it in Puerto Rico. He did it to California back before I was even governor, in 2018,” Newsom said.
“So he’s been at this for years and years and years.”
During the 2024 campaign, Trump made a point of visiting disaster sites before President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris — including the site of a train derailment and toxic chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio, in 2023.
