Washington , President-elect Donald Trump said he plans to visit the Los Angeles area, possibly next weekend He has taken the oath of office,
“I will, perhaps, come at the end of the week,” Trump told NBC News' Kristen Welker in an interview Saturday.
Firefighters are still battling blazes in the Los Angeles area Forest fire to pass killed at least 27 people, thousands of structures destroyed, And more than 60 square miles were burned to the ground. Both the Palisades and Eaton wildfires continue to burn and thousands of people remain under evacuation orders.
Trump told NBC that he wanted to travel earlier, but “thought it would be better if I went as president,” adding that waiting until then would be “a little more appropriate.”
This will likely be his first trip away from Washington as president. It was not immediately clear which affected areas the president-elect would visit.
California Governor Gavin Newsom invited Trump to visit after the fire, despite Trump calling him “Gavin Newsom” on social media. Trump has long been critical of Newsom's approach to forest and brush management in California.
“Governor Gavin Newscom should immediately go to Northern California and open up the water main, and get the water flowing into his parched, hungry, burning state instead of into the Pacific Ocean.” Trump wrote Recently on his Truth social platform. “This must be done now, this incompetent governor has no excuses anymore. It's already too late!”
Newsom has also criticized Trump and suggested he is promoting disinformation about the causes and handling of the fires.
This won't be the first time Trump will visit California and work with Newsom after a fire.
Trump visited Paradise, California in 2018 after flames burned the Northern California community to the ground.
Ivan Vucci/AP