State Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-Santee) joined President Donald Trump in Los Angeles Friday for a roundtable discussion covering wildfire relief and more.
A bipartisan group of local, state and Congressional officials joined the president at a Pacific Palisades fire station as part of his tour of disaster areas in California and North Carolina. The group, Jones said in a news release, also addressed other pressing issues facing the state, including water storage, forest management and streamlining regulations.
“On behalf of Senate Republicans and all Californians, I emphasize(d) the importance of collaboration between the President and elected officials to deliver the urgent support our state needs – from critical disaster relief to meaningful policy changes that will help fix California and get us back on track,” Jones said.
In fire-ravaged California, the state’s Democratic leaders pressed Trump for federal assistance that he’s threatened to hold up, some setting aside their past differences to shower him with praise.
Trump, in turn, pressured local officials to waive permitting requirements so people can immediately rebuild, pledging that federal permits would be granted promptly.
The president also said that he was considering “getting rid of” the Federal Emergency Management Agency, offering the latest sign of how he is weighing sweeping changes to federal government. Instead of having financial assistance flow through FEMA, the Republican president said Washington could provide money directly to the states.
“FEMA has been a very big disappointment,” the Republican president said. “It’s very bureaucratic. And it’s very slow.”
Michael Coen, who served as chief of staff at FEMA during the Biden administration, said Trump was “misinformed” about an agency. The president has tapped tapped Cameron Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL with limited experience managing natural disasters, as FEMA’s acting director.
Trump was greeted in California by Gov. Gavin Newsom, a critic whom the president frequently disparages. Yet the duo chatted amiably and gestured toward cooperation despite their bitter history.
“We’re going to need your support. We’re going to need your help,” Newsom told Trump. “You were there for us during COVID. I don’t forget that, and I have all the expectations we’ll be able to work together to get a speedy recovery.”
Trump flew over several devastated neighborhoods in Marine One, the presidential helicopter, before landing in Pacific Palisades, a hard-hit and well-to-do Southern California community. Accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, he walked a street where all the houses burned, chatting with residents and police officers.
It takes seeing the damage firsthand to grasp its enormity, Trump said after. The fires, which continue to burn, could end up being the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.
“It is devastation. It really is an incineration,” Trump said.
Before flying to California, Trump reiterated that he wants to extract concessions from the Democratic-led state in return for disaster assistance, including changes to water policies and requirements that voters need to show identification when casting ballots.
Nevertheless, Jones said, “I am confident he will work with us to deliver real solutions for our state.”
After visiting North Carolina – which was hard hit by Hurricane Helene – and California, Trump plans to hold a rally Saturday in Las Vegas.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
