LOS ANGELES (CNS) – President Donald Trump, who has hurled criticism at state and local leaders over what he calls faulty water- and forest- management policies that he says contributed to the region’s deadly wildfires, is expected to visit Los Angeles Friday to get a firsthand look at the destruction.
No details about the anticipated trip have been released by the White House, although Trump himself has said he plans to visit Los Angeles. Late afternoon Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said even he is unaware of Trump’s plans, saying, “We haven’t had any contact with the White House, as of this moment.”
Trump stopped in North Carolina on Friday to visit the areas affected by Hurricane Helene. During his visit, he talked to reporters at Asheville Airport in Fletcher, North Carolina.
Trump told reporters in North Carolina he wants to see two things from California: voter ID and water be released from Northern California into Los Angeles.
“I want voter ID for the people of California. And they all want it,” Trump said.
“You want to have proof of citizenship. Ideally you have one-day voting.”
Newsom said he looks forward to Trump’s visit and plans to meet him on the tarmac at the airport in Los Angeles whenever he arrives.
Asked earlier this week about a Trump visit, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told reporters she joined with Newsom and county Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger in extending the invitation to the newly inaugurated president.
“It’s certainly my hope to meet with him,” Bass said. “I know it’s going to be a quick visit.”
Asked what she plans to say to Trump, she said, “I’ll say, `Welcome to Los Angeles.’ And then immediately go into what we’re facing right now and how we hope to continue the federal partnership, which we already have.”
Bass said she hopes Trump “will be very supportive” of the city’s partnership with federal agencies, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which are both involved in debris clearance and recovery efforts from the area’s deadly wildfires.
The Republican Trump, however, has been highly critical of largely Democratic leaders in the state — particularly frequent political critic Newsom — over water policy and forest management.
During an interview with Sean Hannity on the Fox News Channel political talk show “Hannity” broadcast Thursday, Trump repeated his false allegations that the state’s diversion of water to Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta contributed to water-shortage issues faced by firefighters battling the Palisades Fire.
Trump has said the state is prioritizing fish over people by diverting water that should be allowed to flow to Southern California, but instead flows into the Pacific Ocean.
“I don’t think we should give California anything until they let the water run down,” Trump told Hannity, again hinting that he would withhold federal aid from the state absent major changes in policy.
Trump also said FEMA needs to be overhauled, suggesting he would “rather see states take care of their own problems.”
State officials have blasted Trump’s claims about water management as disinformation. Newsom wrote on social media this week that there is “no shortage of water in Southern California.”
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.”
Speaking in Los Angeles Thursday, however, Newsom said he is grateful that Trump plans to visit the region and the governor plans to meet with the commander-in-chief with a spirit of cooperation.
“I hope he comes with the spirit of cooperation and collaboration,” Newsom said. “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.”
He 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.” Newsom also 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.”
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