President Donald Trump called out Mayor Karen Bass for the city’s sluggish response in allowing evacuated residents to return and rebuild their homes after the devastating wildfires.
Trump’s visit to Los Angeles came shortly after his inauguration.
Despite Mayor Bass’s warm welcome and promises of expedited action, Trump quickly pointed out the mismatch between the city’s public assurances and the grim reality shared by local residents.
During the press conference, Trump’s approach was straightforward and assertive as he confronted Mayor Bass with reports from homeowners stating they had been told a prohibitive wait of 18 months before they could start rebuilding.
Mayor Bass attempted to assure Trump that the extensive delays were not part of the city’s recovery plan.
Despite reassurances from Mayor Bass, Trump remained skeptical, citing concerns from numerous homeowners eager to rebuild but frustrated by bureaucratic delays.
Trump: One thing is they are saying they will not be allowed to start for 18 months.
Bass: No, that will not be the case.
Trump: Okay, I just hope you’re right.
Bass: You can hold me to it.
Trump: Four groups said that.
Bass: No.
Trump: They should be able to do it. They should be able to start tonight.
Bass: That will not be the case. You know, first, we have to take care to make sure that there’s not getting rid of the hazardous waste, cleaning things up so that people can start right away. Just like you said, if somebody had their house was destroyed and they’re going to rebuild, essentially the same, maybe a little bit longer, a little bit higher, they really shouldn’t have to go through much of a process. I want you to know that we are expediting that. We absolutely need your help. We need the federal help.
Trump: You got it, I told you. You will have no permit problem. There will be zero delay. As far as I’m concerned, you already have the permits.
During the discussion, a homeowner interjected, highlighting the discrepancy between what was communicated to them and the Bass’ current statements.
“Last night, 18 months. If that’s not the answer, Mayor Bass, what is the answer because that’s what we were all told last night,” the homeowner pressed.
Bass reiterated her commitment to speeding up the recovery efforts, but her reassurances seemed to fall short of Trump’s expectations and those of the local community.
Trump criticized Mayor Karen Bass for not promptly utilizing her emergency powers to expedite residents’ return to their properties and commence rebuilding efforts.
He pointed out that she possesses emergency powers similar to his own and urged immediate action.
It can be recalled that Bass waited for 6 days to issue an executive power.
Homeowners at the meeting shared Trump’s frustration, echoing Trump’s concerns about the disconnect between city officials’ statements and the reality on the ground.
As Trump and Bass went back and forth, the President did not hold back on his criticism of the slow response, emphasizing the need for immediate and effective action to allow residents to return to their properties and begin rebuilding without further delay.
Homeowner: Last night, we were told it’s got to be 18 months. Is it not 18 months? That’s the answer that we got, and that’s what we’re all hanging on.
Bass: Yes.
Homeowner: If you’re telling us now, faster, is it six months? I mean, all of our lives, rents, all this stuff is weighing on this.
Trump: Six months is no good.
Bass: The number one thing that we are going to do immediately, and you will see this happen, is to clear out the debris. We’re concerned right now over the weekend because of the potential rain, but we are going to move as fast as we can. But we want you to be safe, and we want you to be back in your homes immediately.
Trump: But the people are willing to clean out their own debris. It doesn’t cost a lot.
Bass: Yes, and they can.
Trump: You should let them do it because by the time you hire contractors, it’s going to be two years.
Karen Bass: If a family—
Trump: The people are willing to get a dumpster and do it themselves and clean it out. There’s not that much left. It’s all incinerated.
Bass: That’s right.
Trump: It’s just going to take a long time. You can do some of it, but a lot of these people, I know that guy right there that’s talking. I know my people. You’ll be on that thing tonight, throwing the stuff away, and your site will look perfect within 24 hours, and that’s what he wants to do. He doesn’t want to wait around for seven months till the city hires some demolition contractor that’s going to charge him $25,000 to do his lot. You have emergency powers just like I do, and I’m exercising my emergency powers. You have to exercise them also.
Bass: I did exercise them.
Trump: You have a very powerful emergency power, and you can do everything within 24 hours.
Bass: Yes. If individuals want to clear out their property, they can… But you know that you will be able to go back soon… We think within a week.
Trump: That’s a long time, a week. I’ll be honest. To me, everyone’s standing in front of their house, they want to go to work and they’re not allowed to do it. A week is a long time.
Bass: And the most important thing is for people to be safe.
Trump: They’re safe. You know what they’re not safe? They’re not safe now. They’re going to be much safer. A week is actually a long time the way I look at it.
I watched hundreds of people standing in front of their lots, and they’re not allowed to go in. It’s all burned. It’s gone. It’s done. Nothing’s going to happen to it. It’s not going to burn anymore. There’s nothing to burn. There’s almost nothing to burn. They want to go in. The people are all over the place. They’re standing, and I say, Warren, you’re going in. We’re trying to get a permit, and the permit is going to take them. Everybody said 18 months. You said 18 months. You said 18 months.
WATCH:
JUST IN: President Trump and LA mayor Karen Bass spar on live TV, Trump tells her to stop taking so long.
The spat we’ve all been waiting for.
Trump: “I’m exercising my emergency powers. You have to exercise them also. You can do everything within 24 hours.”
Bass: “And if… pic.twitter.com/PCdcjS431S
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 25, 2025
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