President Trump joined by Newsom in Los Angeles for Palisades Fire tour, emergency briefing

President Trump flew to Southern California Friday afternoon to tour damage from the devastating Palisades Fire, one of two deadly wildfires in the Los Angeles area this month, greeting Gov. Gavin Newsom, who was waiting at the bottom of the steps to Air Force One.

They shook hands after Mr. Trump walked off the aircraft with first lady Melania Trump just after 3 p.m. Pacific Time, briefly speaking with each other before addressing reporters waiting near the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport. Mr. Trump had just finished up a trip visiting North Carolina, where Hurricane Helene left behind widespread destruction with severe flooding months earlier.

"Now, we're going to be taking a little tour with some of the people from the area. I appreciate the governor coming out and meeting me," Mr. Trump told reporters, stretching out his hand to Newsom. "We wanna get it fixed. We wanna get the problem fixed."

"It's like you got hit by a bomb, right?" Mr. Trump said to Newsom before the governor spoke to reporters. 

"Most importantly, thank you for being here," Newsom said, looking toward Mr. Trump. "It means a great deal to all of us — not just the folks in Palisades, the folks in Altadena that were devastated. We're gonna need your support. We're gonna need your help. You were there for us during COVID. I don't forget that. And I have all the expectations that we'll be able to work together."

Mr. Trump spoke about the widespread devastation left by the Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles County this month, which killed 28 people and destroyed and damaged thousands of buildings including entire neighborhoods of homes. "Nothing like this has happened," he said, later saying he planned to "work together" with Newsom after a reporter asked about their differences.

"We're looking to get something completed," Mr. Trump said. "And the way you get it completed is to work together. He's the governor of this state... and they're gonna need a lot of federal help."

Some other state lawmakers and local leaders gathered to meet the president Friday, including Orange County Republican Rep. Young Kim, who spoke about a need for federal aid without conditions. Her words reflected a spirit of bipartisanship state lawmakers spoke about a day earlier when they announced a $2.5 billion legislative aid package for Los Angeles County wildfire relief.

"Right now, it's not the time to talk about what type of conditions," Kim said. "The only thing we should worry about is whatever the federal aid... is getting to the people and the communities for rebuilding purposes — that's the only condition that I would ask."

Later in his visit, Mr. Trump spoke to local leaders about federal aid and said that the "federal government is standing behind you 100%."

"We have to work together to get this really worked out," Mr. Trump said. "We'll be back to celebrate one day soon, I hope soon. The federal government is standing behind you 100%. The First Lady and I are in California to express a great love for the people of California."

About an hour after landing, Mr. Trump walked through a neighborhood where streets were lined with debris and rubble where houses once stood, speaking with Los Angeles firefighters and law enforcement officers. He also met homeowners during his visit.

"Unfortunately, it's a very sad period, but what makes you feel good is I met so many of the homeowners, and every one of them, a lot of them, and every one of them said to me, they want to rebuild," Mr. Trump said.

After the tour, Mr. Trump attended a fire emergency briefing with Mayor Karen Bass, County Supervisor Kathryn Barger and other officials. He was accompanied by several members of California's congressional delegation, including Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman, who represents the area affected by the Palisades Fire. 

"I don't think you can realize how rough it is, how devastating is until you see it," Mr. Trump said during the briefing. "I mean, I saw a lot of bad things on television, but the extent of it, the side of it, we flew over it in a helicopter. We flew to a few of the areas, and it is devastation."

During the briefing, Councilwoman Traci Park, who represents Pacific Palisades, asked for the continued from the federal government to allow residents to return home. 

"I just ask for your ongoing partnership with FEMA and the EPA and our other federal agencies to make sure that we have a commitment across all layers of government to get these people back home," Park said.

Mr. Trump's first presidential trip of his second term comes as Southern California remains on edge amid critical fire weather conditions, with multiple new blazes igniting in the region this week as local and state officials launch the rebuilding process.

In a Fox News interview that aired Wednesday, Mr. Trump criticized Newsom and other officials, lobbing accusations about the state's water management and threatening to withhold wildfire aid. The governor has refuted Mr. Trump's allegations, calling one claim "pure fiction."

Mr. Trump is not expected to visit the Eaton Fire zone, where at least 17 people died in a wildfire now considered one of the most deadly and destructive recorded in California history. According to Cal Fire, more than 10,000 homes, businesses and other buildings. 

Rep. Judy Chu, who represents Altadena and Pasadena, advocated for the communities ravaged by the Eaton Fire. 

"I know that you've gone to the Palisades and you've seen the devastation, but it's apocalyptic in Altadena," Chu said. "Right now, they have nothing, and there have been 9500 structures burned. Most of the deaths have occurred in our area of the Eaton Fire, and 1000s of people are without homes. And these are working people. These are working-class people."

Mr. Trump departed L.A. Friday night for Las Vegas, while the first lady took a separate flight to Florida.