LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County officials said Sunday they’ve invited President-elect Donald Trump to visit the sites of still raging wildfires and discuss federal relief, but haven’t connected with him directly.
Supervisor Kathryn Barger, a Republican who represents the swath of Altadena devastated by the Eaton Fire, said during a press conference she sent Trump a letter Saturday and has been in discussions with “high-ranking people within the incoming administration.” Those conversations haven’t involved Trump.
“Obviously, it’s a work in progress, but there is no question in my mind that we will be touching base with him,” Barger said.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, said she also hasn’t been in contact with Trump.
Spokespeople for Trump didn’t immediately return requests for comment.
Trump, meanwhile, has continued to bash California officials for their response to the fires that started Tuesday.
“The fires are still raging in L.A. The incompetent pols have no idea how to put them out,” he wrote in a Saturday night message on Truth Social. “Thousands of magnificent house are gone, and many more will soon be lost.
“There is death all over the place,” he continued. “This is one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our Country. They just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong with them?”
The back and forth comes two days after Gov. Gavin Newsom asked Trump to survey the damage caused by the Palisades and Eaton fires, which continue to burn and have killed at least 16 people and damaged or destroyed more than 10,000 structures.
Newsom in a Sunday morning appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press pitched the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles as a reason for Trump to collaborate on recovery efforts.
“Donald Trump, to his credit, was helpful in getting the Olympics to the United States of America, to get it down here in L.A. We thank him for that,” Newsom said. “This is an opportunity for him to shine, for this country to shine, for California and this community to shine, all that opportunity and the pride and spirit that comes from not just hosting those three iconic games and venues, but also the opportunity, I think, to rebuild at the same time.”