President Trump minutes ago wrapped up a briefing in Pacific Palisades, California, with multiple officials regarding the devastating fires that have destroyed the area since it first broke out on January 7.
One exchange is already going viral—when the commander-in-chief called out hapless LA Mayor Karen Bass for the endless red tape and byzantine permitting process in the Golden State, arguing that authorities should let homeowners start clearing the debris right away instead of having to wait needlessly for approval from the state.
Watch:
🚨 Trump just had a 1-on-1 exchange with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass regarding the wildfires.
This is so, so refreshing. Just watch.
TRUMP: Groups are saying they can’t start [rebuilding] for 18 months.
MAYOR KAREN BASS: No. You can hold me to that.
TRUMP: 4 groups said… pic.twitter.com/aSL4B56hmy
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 25, 2025
Trump just had a 1-on-1 exchange with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass regarding the wildfires.
This is so, so refreshing. Just watch.
TRUMP: Groups are saying they can’t start [rebuilding] for 18 months.
MAYOR KAREN BASS: No. You can hold me to that.
TRUMP: 4 groups said that.
BASS: No.
TRUMP: They need to start tonight.
BASS: That [delay] will not be the case. But you know first, we have to get rid of hazardous waste. We are expediting everything. We need your help.
TRUMP: You’ve got it. You will have no permit problem, there will be zero delay. I am more worried – at least 8 groups of homeowners, I met. They said it’s 18 months. They want to start now, they want to start cleaning up. You said hazardous waste – what is that? You have to define it. Are we gonna go through a whole series of questioning on defining it?
BASS: Nope, nope, nope.
TRUMP: Let them start the process tonight.
BASS: And we will. You can come back and check.
Don’t worry, Karen, he will.
Convo between President Trump & LA Mayor Bass getting tense. Trump says homeowners should be able to clear their own debris, Bass says they can. But that’s not true, most homeowners can’t even get into their burned properties, and LA County prohibited personal cleanup on 1/15. pic.twitter.com/clJ9BZ0EtF
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 25, 2025
Related: Leadership: Donald Trump Smoothly Takes Control After Gavin Newsom Attempts to Hijack LAX Tarmac Presser
Trump Flies to California to Assess the Fire Damage, Lay Down Conditions for Receipt of Federal Aid
One person I did not see at the briefing was Gov. Gavin Newsom. If he was there, he certainly didn’t get much airtime. Maybe his invitation is in the mail.
Trump has also been busy dunking on CA Dem Rep. Brad Sherman: “Brad, we’re the party of common sense. You’re not, in all fairness.” Watch as he rips him apart over the insurance crisis, it’s a thing of beauty:
🚨 SMACKDOWN ALERT. WOW.
TRUMP, to Congressman BRAD SHERMAN (D-CA): You did something, Brad, where every insurance company is leaving California. You made it so impossible – people like YOU. I’ll tell you this – I’ve never seen a state where so many people have no insurance.… pic.twitter.com/fnCZxDjuGn
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 25, 2025
They left. And they’ve been warning you. I don’t like the companies, but they’ve been warning you for a long time. And they said they want water – they don’t have any water for fire hydrants.
As we’ve covered extensively, the one-party Democrat regime has been exposed like never before in the formerly Golden State, and the failures at every level of government have been revealed by these tragic, devastating wildfires.
To see Trump come in and tell them to their faces that they’re incompetent and their policies stink is unbelievably satisfying because they utterly deserve it.
A Failure at the Top: Newsom Vetoed a Bill to Enhance Fire Mitigation So He Could Grab the Land for Affordable Housing
Photos Surface of LA Mayor Karen Bass Living Her Best Life As Palisades Wildfire Exploded
The meeting is just coming to an end. RedState will continue to provide coverage as developments warrant.
