Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) has invited President-elect Donald Trump to visit the Golden State to see the devastation of the Los Angeles fires firsthand.
Trump has been critical of Newsom’s handling of the wildfires, and of California’s overall wildfire prevention efforts, calling on the governor to resign and blaming the natural disaster on him. Newsom, who has also thrown jabs at Trump amid the criticisms, sent a letter to Trump inviting him to visit the state as he returns to the White House.
.@realDonaldTrump, as you prepare to assume the presidency once more, I invite you to come to California.
The hundreds of thousands of Americans – displaced from their homes and fearful for the future – deserve to see us all working together in their best interests, not… pic.twitter.com/R3C7cGqdBh
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) January 10, 2025
“As you prepare to assume the presidency once more, I invite you to come to California again — to meet with the Americans affected by these fires, see the devastation firsthand, and join me and others in thanking the heroic firefighters and first responders who are putting their lives on the line,” Newsom said.
“In this spirit of this great country, we must not politicize human tragedy or spread disinformation from the sidelines. Hundreds of thousands of Americans — displaced from their homes and fearful for the future — deserve to see all of us working in their best interests to ensure a fast recovery and rebuild,” he added.
In the letter, Newsom noted how Trump visited California after damaging wildfires in 2018, when Newsom was governor-elect, and also praised President Joe Biden for his efforts supporting California in its fight and recovery from the current string of fires in Los Angeles.
Trump will return to the White House on Jan. 20, with the Los Angeles wildfires being one of the first natural disaster recoveries he has to oversee during his second term. During a White House briefing on the wildfires on Friday, Biden said that the incoming administration knows “every single thing we are doing about the response.”
Newsom’s invitation to Trump comes as several of the fires, including the Palisades Fire, still rage in the Los Angeles area. The Los Angeles Fire Department issued new mandatory evacuations for the fire Friday evening ranging from Sunset Boulevard North to Encino Reservoir and the 405 Freeway to Mandeville Canyon.
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The governor also called for an independent investigation earlier Friday into two key failings that hampered the firefighting response, problems with the water pressure running dry in the hydrants and the unavailability of the Santa Ynez Reservoir for water supply.
As of Friday evening, the Palisades Fire is only 8% contained and the Eaton Fire is only 3% contained. Most other major fires are significantly more contained than those fires.
