Gov. Gavin Newsom thanked President Donald Trump on Friday for coming to Southern California to tour the devastation left by the fires this month, marking their first face off since starting an ongoing online feud over the wildfire damage.
Trump traveled to Southern California on Friday to scope out damage from the recent wildfires that destroyed thousands of acres and more than 10,000 structures in the Los Angeles area, and claimed the lives of nearly 30 people.
Newsom was seen waiting on the tarmac for Trump before he exited Air Force One. The two shook hands, and Trump appeared to tug on his arm – a power move he has been known to pull on world leaders.
“Thank you first for being here. It makes a great deal to all of us,” Newsom told Trump after they met on the tarmac of LAX in Los Angeles just after 3 p.m. local time. “We’re going to need your support, we’re going to need your help.”
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Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump face off on LAX tarmac Friday. (Pool)
He added that Trump was with California “during COVID, I don’t forget that.”
The encounter marked the first face-to-face interaction Newsom and Trump have had since he was sworn in as president on Monday.
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Trump said he believed he appreciated Newsom coming out to greet him after he arrived, adding “I think you’re going to see some very good progress” on the fire recovery.
“We want to get the problem fixed,” Trump said. “It’s like you got hit by a bomb.”
President Donald Trump talks with California Gov. Gavin Newsom after arriving on Air Force One at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, Friday. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Making reference to some of the blame he had placed on Newsom and other California Democrats for not being properly prepared to handle the fires, he added, “We’ll get it permanently fixed so it can’t happen again.”
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Trump has spent the last several weeks blaming Newsom and Democratic leadership for the extent of the wildfire damage, citing fire management and water policies.
“Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!” Trump charged in a social media post on Jan. 8.
