President Donald J. Trump visited North Carolina and California yesterday in a sweep to survey the damage of natural disasters on Joe Biden’s watch, who promptly did nothing. During a roundtable meeting between the president and local California leaders, Trump cooked them live, especially Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who got especially roasted. Trump was appalled about the time projected to clean up the damage, noting that Bass also has emergency powers. Trump wanted emergency crews to go in last night and start clearing out the damage (via NY Post):
JUST IN: President Trump and LA mayor Karen Bass spar on live TV, Trump tells her to stop taking so long.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 25, 2025
The spat we’ve all been waiting for.
Trump: “I'm exercising my emergency powers. You have to exercise them also. You can do everything within 24 hours.”
Bass: “And if… pic.twitter.com/PCdcjS431S
🚨 Trump just had a 1-on-1 exchange with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass regarding the wildfires.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 25, 2025
This is so, so refreshing. Just watch.
TRUMP: Groups are saying they can't start [rebuilding] for 18 months.
MAYOR KAREN BASS: No. You can hold me to that.
TRUMP: 4 groups said… pic.twitter.com/aSL4B56hmy
President Trump tangled with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass Friday after touring wildfire damage in America’s second-largest city — demanding she use her “emergency powers” and allow residents to return to their homes to rebuild.
[…]
“I just think you have to allow the people to go on their site and start the process tonight,” Trump told the Democratic mayor, who was seated next to him during a roundtable discussion that included most of the area’s congressional delegation.
[…]
Bass protested that “we want people to be safe” — as residents shouted protests from across the room.
“I watched hundreds of people standing in front of their lots, and they’re not allowed to go in,” the president retorted.
“It’s all burned. It’s gone, it’s done. Nothing’s going to happen… The people are all over the place. They’re standing and they say… ‘We’re trying to get a permit’, and the permit is going to take them, everybody said, 18 months,” Trump said.
“We can’t even see our homes right now!” a local woman shouted.
“You have emergency powers, just like I do, and I’m exercising my emergency powers. You have to exercise them also,” Trump scolded Bass.
“I did exercise them,” she insisted. “If individuals want to clear out their property, they can.”
JUST IN: President Trump completely shuts up Democrat congressman Brad Sherman after he tried defending FEMA, gets a loud round of applause.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 25, 2025
Sherman: "If I could just defend FEMA for a little bit."
Trump: "Yea..."
Sherman: *Rambles about FEMA*
Trump: "The problem with FEMA is… pic.twitter.com/XvtE3T0u20
Last night, the LA County Director of Public Works Mark Pestrella told Palisades residents debris removal will take 18 months. @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/6OSYsYeqY6
— Julie Hamill (@hamill_law) January 25, 2025
🚨 SMACKDOWN ALERT. WOW.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 25, 2025
TRUMP, to Congressman BRAD SHERMAN (D-CA): You did something, Brad, where every insurance company is leaving California. You made it so impossible - people like YOU. I'll tell you this - I've never seen a state where so many people have no insurance.… pic.twitter.com/fnCZxDjuGn
That’s not exactly true. Also, everyone at that table should be fired, recalled, or lose re-election. The LA Times reported that the water systems needed repairs and upgrades since 2013. None of them were done.
Even liberal reporter Michael Tracey noted the ineptitude of the response:
Maybe the conditions are so extreme that prevention was not possible... but to whatever extent damage from the fires could've been mitigated, LA City and LA County really does have some of the most convoluted, inept governance in the country -- especially given their resources
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) January 9, 2025
To the untrained eye it really does seem bizarre that there's such woefully inadequate resources to contain these fires, especially in some of the most affluent parts of Los Angeles County
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) January 8, 2025
Maybe most disturbing about these LA fires is that this is supposed to the middle of the Southern California "wet season"!
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) January 8, 2025
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