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Governor Gavin Newsom offered thanks President Donald Trump on Friday to come to Southern California to tour the devastation left by wildfires this month, marking their first confrontation since an online dispute over wildfire damage began.
Trump traveled Southern California Friday to survey the damage from the recent wildfires that destroyed thousands of acres and more than 10,000 structures in the Los Angeles area and claimed the lives of nearly 30 people.
Newsom was seen waiting for Trump on the tarmac before exiting Air Force One. The two shook hands and Trump appeared to pull on his arm, a power move that has been known to pull world leaders.
“First, thank you for being here. This means a lot to all of us,” Newsom told Trump after they met on the tarmac at LAX in Los Angeles shortly after 3 p.m. local time. “We’re going to need your support, we’re going to need your help.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump square off on the tarmac at LAX on Friday. (swimming pool)
He added that Trump was with California “during COVID, I don’t forget that.”
The meeting marked the first face-to-face interaction that Newsom and Trump have had since he was sworn in as president on Monday.
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Trump said he believed him appreciated Newsom coming out to greet him after he arrived, adding “I think you’ll see very good progress” in recovering from the fire.
“We want to fix the problem,” Trump said. “It’s like a bomb hit you.”
President Donald Trump chats with California Governor Gavin Newsom after arriving on Air Force One at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles on Friday. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Referring to some of the blame he had placed on Newsom and other California Democrats for not being adequately prepared to handle the fires, he added: “We’re going to fix this permanently so it can’t happen again.”
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Trump has spent the past few weeks blaming Newsom and the Democratic leadership for the extent of wildfire damage, citing fire management and water policies.
“Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!” Trump charged in a Jan. 8 social media post.
