President Donald Trump flew into enemy territory on Friday, visiting California as part of a tour of natural disasters that doubled as a victory lap.
He toured an area of flattened homes and blackened trees to see the extraordinary damage firsthand.
And then he clashed with the city's Democratic mayor and a liberal lawmaker over how to rebuild thousands of homes destroyed by intense fires after hearing from families who said regulations were keeping them from rebuilding. to start.
“They just said they couldn't start for another 18 months,” he said during a discussion at a Pacific Palisades firehouse.
Mayor Karen Bass said she had lowered the regulations: “You can hold me to that.”
But she said safety had to be a priority.
“You know, first we have to get rid of hazardous waste,” she said. 'We are accelerating everything. We need your help.'
“Sure, you got it,” Trump said.
President Donald Trump talks with California Governor Gavin Newsom after arriving on Air Force One at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles on Friday
Trump spoke to residents as he toured a fire-affected area in Los Angeles' Pacific Palisades neighborhood
Marine One, carrying US President Donald Trump, flies over the devastation caused by wildfires around Los Angeles, California on Friday
These were his people, he kept saying he understood them. People who knew how to rebuild their homes safely.
“They want to start now, they want to start cleaning up,” he said. “You said hazardous waste, what is that? You have to define it. Are we going to go through a whole series of questions to define it?”
Their voices grew louder when the developer who cut red tape met a city leader who wouldn't sacrifice safety for speed.
He had the space, with dozens of firefighters, law enforcement, and people who had lost everything on his side.
And loyal ally Ric Grenell, once his ambassador to Germany and a top intelligence official during his first administration, led the applause as one half of America met the other half.
It was always going to be a difficult meeting.
Trump has threatened to withhold aid and in the morning repeated the false claim that Governor Gavin Newsom had refused to provide water to fight the fires in Los Angeles.
It was the second half of a disaster trip after a visit to Asheville, North Carolina, which was devastated by Hurricane Helene last year.
US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend a briefing on wildfire damage while visiting the Pacific Palisades neighborhood that was damaged by the Palisades Fire
Marine One, with US President Donald Trump on board, flies above the destruction
A Fleet helicopter carrying President Donald Trump flies over an area devastated by the Palisades Fire, in Pacific Palisades
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass after a fire briefing
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass looks on as President Donald Trump speaks after a briefing
There he met families who saw parts of their homes simply floating away.
And he considered the idea of disbanding the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“FEMA has been a disaster,” he said during a tour. “I think we're recommending that FEMA go away.”
He repeatedly suggested that the best way to respond to emergencies was for states to do their own work, bypassing federal bureaucracy.
It was Trump's first trip since he retook the White House on Monday. It was part victory lap and part chance to show that he governed for all Americans, whether they live in the blue or red states.
Traveling journalists were given a four-page account of his exploits during his first hundred hours as president, all held together with a gold-colored paper clip.
And Trump seemed to be in good spirits throughout, repeatedly reaching out to his traveling press pool to answer questions and offer his opinions on disaster relief.
Friday's blue state was always going to be a bigger challenge than North Carolina.
The president flew over an area of flattened houses and blackened trees to see the extraordinary damage firsthand
The president flew over the destruction before heading to an area on the ground
Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California, en route to Las Vegas, Nevada
US President Donald Trump and Ric Grenell, Presidential Envoy for Special Missions, attend a briefing on wildfire damage
He has expressed scorn for city and state leaders, blaming them for a poor response to wildfires that have killed at least 28 people and caused billions of dollars in damage.
But it started with a moment of relaxation as he stepped off Air Force One at Los Angeles International Airport and gave a half-hug to Governor Newsom, nicknamed “Newscum” by the president.
Afterwards, Trump told reporters traveling with him that he was grateful the governor came to welcome him.
“We want to get something completed, and the way you get it completed is to work with the governor of the state and we're going to get it completed,” he said.
He then got an aerial view of the rebuilding task ahead as Marine One flew over ash-filled hills toward Pacific Palisades, one of the hardest hit areas.
He was taken to Fiske Street, where no house was left standing. That was all left where chimneys stood, looking for all the world like medieval ruins of abbeys in Europe, where only the stone columns dot the landscape.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk with Jason Hing, chief of emergency services for the Los Angles Fire Department, left, and Capt. Jeff Brown, chief of Station 69, as they tour the Pacific Palisades neighborhood affected by recent wildfires in LA
Trump and first lady Melania walk with Jason Hing, chief emergency deputy at the Los Angles Fire Department, left, and Capt. Jeff Brown, station 69 chief,
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump spoke with Los Angeles firefighters
Trump took time to greet LA firefighters during a tour of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood
Trump and his wife Melania walked along the line of LA firefighters to talk to each of them
“It's really not believable,” was his brief characterization of what he was shown.
He met two families standing outside their empty lots with photos of what their homes once looked like.
And he posed for photos with some of the firefighters who risked their lives to fight the blazes.
His first interactions with Bass seemed friendly enough. They shook hands warmly and she sat down to his right, separated from the president by the first lady.
'Thanks Karen Bas. Nice to meet you,” he said as he welcomed the participants.
But the differences between the Republican president and the mostly Democratic officials quickly became clear.
When Rep. Brad Sherman asked to eliminate tariffs on construction materials, Trump's response was testy: “We'll look into that,” he said.
Tariffs are an important cornerstone of his foreign and economic policy.
Even worse, Sherman tried to defend FEMA, which Trump has alternately labeled incompetent or corrupt.
They spoke over each other, much to Trump's chagrin. He raised his voice to drown out Sherman.
“If you use FEMA, you're going to be here for a long time,” he said, interrupting his opponent.
