President Donald Trump was greeted by California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday as Trump prepares to tour areas of the state recently ravaged by wildfires.
Why It Matters
Trump and Newsom have been enthralled in a contentious back and forth in recent weeks as wildfires raged in Los Angeles County. Trump has pointed the finger at Newsom a Democrat, blaming him for poorly handling the fires.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, has also faced fierce backlash for her management.
The deadly Palisades and Eaton fires grew to be the largest, scorching tens of thousands of acres and destroying thousands of buildings.
What To Know
As Trump and first lady Melania Trump departed Air-Force 1 after they landed at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Friday afternoon, Trump stuck out his hand to shake Newsom’s.
The pair briefly spoke before heading over to chat with reporters. It is immediately unclear to Newsweek what was said between the two.
While speaking to reporters, Trump said “I appreciate the governor coming out and meeting me, Gavin…” while sticking his hand out again to shake Newsom’s.
“We want to get it fixed; we want to get the problem fixed. There will be some ways but it’s like you got hit by a bomb, right? Like you got hit by a bomb,” Trump said to Newsom.
Newsom then said, “Most importantly, thank you for being here, it means a great deal to all of us. Not just the folks in Palisades, the folks in Altadena that were devastated. We’re going to need your support, were going to need your help, you were there for us during COVID, I don’t forget that, and I have all the expectations that we will be able to work together, to get this speedy recovery.”
Newsweek reached out to Governor Newsom’s office and the White House via email for comment on Friday evening.
This is a developing story that will be updated with additional information.
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