Supervisor Kathryn Barger said she sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump inviting him to Los Angeles County “to engage in wildfire recovery efforts and to visit the area “to see the impact firsthand.”
“By accepting this invitation, Mr. President-Elect, you will join us in supporting our citizenry and thanking our heroic first responders, who have risked their own lives to save others,” Barger wrote to Trump. “We would also ask you, as our President, to stand with the people of Los Angeles County as we set our course to rebuild. Your presence would be deeply felt and appreciated.”
Trump did not immediately respond.
In a news release, Barger noted that in November 2018, the Trump administration issued a Major Disaster and Emergency Declaration for the Woolsey Fire that devastated Malibu and its surrounding communities.
“The White House’s declaration allowed for the rapid deployment of federal resources, including emergency personnel and financial assistance,” the statement said.
As the cataclysmic wildfires rage across Los Angeles, Trump hasn’t been offering much sympathy. Instead, he’s claiming he could do a better job managing the crisis, spewing falsehoods and casting blame on Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Trump has lashed out at his longtime political foe Newsom’s forest management policies and falsely claimed the state’s fish conservation efforts are responsible for fire hydrants running dry in urban areas. Referring to the governor by a derisive nickname, Trump said he should resign.