U.S. President Donald Trump visited California on the 24th (local time), which recently suffered massive damage from simultaneous wildfires.
On the afternoon of the same day, President Trump arrived in Los Angeles (LA), California, aboard Air Force One, the presidential aircraft, accompanied by his wife, Melania. He then took Marine One, the presidential helicopter, to inspect the affected areas.
Following his visit to North Carolina, which was hit by a hurricane last year, President Trump made his first domestic trip since the start of his term (on the 20th) by visiting California.
At Los Angeles International Airport, where Air Force One landed, California Governor Gavin Newsom (Democrat), whom President Trump harshly criticized for failing to prevent and respond to the wildfires, came out to greet him. Although the two are political adversaries, they showed a friendly demeanor by shaking hands and patting each other on the shoulder that day.
Standing side by side with Governor Newsom on the airport runway in front of the press, President Trump expressed gratitude for Newsom’s reception and said, "Many people have been affected, and many properties will be affected," adding, "No one has seen a situation like this since World War II."
Governor Newsom said, "We need your support and help," requesting active disaster relief assistance at the federal government level.
However, during his visit to Asheville, North Carolina, on the same day, President Trump strongly criticized the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which oversees disaster support at the central government level, and suggested that disaster response could be entirely delegated to each state.
He stated, "I am starting the process of fundamentally reforming and reorganizing FEMA, and I may sign an executive order to abolish FEMA," adding, "If a problem occurs in a state, I believe the state should solve that problem."
Additionally, President Trump recently mentioned in a media interview that he is considering linking the passage of wildfire response support legislation for California, which is controlled by the opposition Democratic Party, with the passage of a package bill to fulfill various campaign promises.
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