Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass pushed back against questions about any “animosity” between the incoming Trump administration and California that could hamper efforts to battle the multiple wildfires raging in Los Angeles County.
Trump has heavily criticized leaders in Los Angeles and California over the response to the wildfires, saying the city and state were woefully unprepared.
On Sunday, Bass said she’s “not worried” about any supposed animosity between Trump and local officials and said she has been in communication with his team.
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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said there was no animosity between President-elect Trump and the city. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
Trump on Sunday posted on Truth Social that “incompetent polls” have no idea how to put out the L.A. wildfires. He had previously accused California Gov. Gavin Newsom of caring more about protecting an endangered fish species than protecting the state’s residents from wildfires.
The incoming president has long railed against Democrats in California for limiting the availability of water for Californians that comes from the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers in the northern part of the state.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and President-elect Trump have clashed on various issues, including the recent wildfires in Los Angeles County. (Getty/AP)
Newsom and Los Angeles County supervisor Kathryn Barger have both extended separate invitations to Trump for him to visit the region to see the devastation the fires have caused.
“I joined in the invitation to the incoming president to come to Los Angeles,” Bass said during Sunday’s press update on the firefighting efforts. “I joined with the supervisor, and the governor and spoke directly with the incoming administration yesterday. It was a fine call.”
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Burned structures are seen in Malibu as the Palisades fire burns during a windstorm on the west side of Los Angeles, California, on Jan. 8, 2025. (REUTERS/Ringo Chiu)
She added, “There are also, as I mentioned before, a number of my former colleagues who are up for confirmation. I feel like I will have good relations there.”
Bass and Barger said they believe Trump will visit the area.
“I will say, knowing what I know, and I represent Altadena, which is probably the most diverse, community, that in the fifth district, this is the exact constituency that he was talking to,” said Barger. “You got socioeconomics from all walks of life, and they are suffering. So I am confident that this president will come.”
The mayor also took issue with questions about the supposed lack of communication between the city and the incoming Trump administration.
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“There isn’t a lack of communication between the city of Los Angeles and the incoming Trump administration,” she said. “I have spoken with representatives of the incoming administration. I’ll be talking more about that in the coming days.”
