Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger invited President-elect Donald Trump to travel to California to get a first-hand look at the destruction and devastation caused by the wildfires. Gov. Gavin Newsom has also issued an invite “in the spirit of an open hand, not a closed fist,” as he said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Trump’s team is engaged in conversations about his visiting Los Angeles to view the wildfire damage, two sources familiar with the discussions said. News that he’s considering a visit is encouraging, but isn’t exactly a guarantee that he will. But he should accept that invitation and head to fire-ravaged California shortly after he takes office.
Why?
Trump needs to see what the mind can barely comprehend.
Because Trump needs to see what the mind can barely comprehend. At this moment, fires continue to burn out of control in the Golden State, and Santa Ana winds threaten to whip up at hurricane force again.
Because with a visit, he can fulfill one of the unwritten rules of being president: showing compassion for families who have lost everything. He can also pay respect to the firefighters who have been valiantly fighting blazes. Compassion and respect have not been a part of Trump’s brand. This an opportunity for him to pivot away from his trademark pugilism and show some heart.
Nothing in the past suggests that such a change in approach will happen. But nothing like this has happened before. The size of these fires and the scope of the devastation is unprecedented and ongoing.
Trump should also travel west because his bickering with Newsom is unhelpful and churlish. Sure, Southern California is known as a Democratic stronghold, but the people who lost homes, jobs, stability and perhaps even their sanity fall on all parts of the political spectrum.
California’s leaders are facing fierce criticism about water levels, fire department staffing, emergency communication and overall preparedness. Those tough questions will continue. However, lobbing darts at California’s elected Democrats for alleged inaction before the fire doesn’t help anyone slogging through the aftermath.
If he visits, he and his new team might see firsthand how disinformation and loose rumors on social media create distractions that harm fire-fighting efforts. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has once again revved up its online rumor response website to combat a steady stream of false claims. Government officials are using so much precious time to knock down false rumors that some agencies are creating special units or assigning specific people with the specific task of debunking bad info — essentially trying to douse a wildfire of false information on the web.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has once again revved up its online rumor response website to combat a steady stream of false claims.
There are still even more reasons why Trump should consider heading west.
A disaster of this magnitude demands that he shift away from his stated plan to begin rounding up undocumented immigrants on the first day of his term. As president, he should instead command the deployment of resources to help with firefighting, rescue efforts, recovery, relief and rebuilding.
After previous large-scale disasters, immigrants to our country (many of them undocumented) have played a big part in rebuilding efforts. The burned-out area in Southern California is larger than Manhattan. California will need all the help it can get.
But with Trump returning to the White House, this might be a case where tough new policies collide with past trends. After Hurricane Ian destroyed southwestern Florida in 2022, construction teams struggled finding laborers because of new laws that required the use of federal E-verification of legal status for workers in businesses with more than 25 employees and made it a felony to drive an undocumented person across state lines into Florida.
After previous large-scale disasters, immigrants to our country (many of them undocumented) have played a big part in rebuilding efforts.
Trump’s vow to commence wide-scale immigration sweeps at a moment when immigrant labor will certainly be in demand may please his base, but it could undercut the recovery and even overall business growth outside California. Previous mass deportations have at times targeted immigrants in jobs that others are not eagerly willing to take.
And there is the matter of size. With more than 9.5 million residents, Los Angeles County represents almost 3 percent of the entire U.S. population. For perspective, consider this: L.A. County has more people than 41 states. Only Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas have more residents than Los Angeles County. To be honest, there is a performative aspect to politicians surveying the damage caused by natural disasters. The pictures are somewhat orchestrated. The routes are carefully chosen. But presidents and elected leaders who have made that trek after fires, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes or mass shootings are struck by the destruction they see. No briefing book can convey the acrid smell of a burning community or the fear in a child’s eyes when everything they’ve ever known has disappeared. Newsom probably didn’t expect to be confronted by the woman who grilled him on why there was no water in the hydrants outside her child’s school, but I’m betting the pain and anguish in her voice will live in his head for the rest of his days. Barger, the county supervisor who invited Trump, is a popular moderate leaning Republican. She represents the 5th District of L.A. County that includes the Altadena area ravaged in the Eaton Fire and other areas reaching south toward Ventura that are also threatened as the Santa Ana winds are projected to kick up to speeds of 70 mph. No briefing book can convey the acrid smell of a burning community or the fear in a child’s eyes when everything they’ve ever known has disappeared. “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. Her entreaty is heartfelt. It’s also politically astute. A hyperpartisan politician like our next president will have an easier time accepting a fellow-Republican’s plea than an invite from the outspoken Democratic governor. But perhaps this is the best reason for the 47th president to fly to the Golden State. Because visiting a state that will be struggling for years to rebuild and recover is simply what leadership looks like.
Michele Norris is a senior contributing editor for MS NOW. 
