As L.A. Fires Rage, Trump and Newsom’s Hostilities Resurface
The New York Times
California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, and President-elect Donald J. Trump have long feuded. Can the rancor be set aside to help a devastated city recover?
As fires raged around Los Angeles, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Democrat of California, arrived at a Santa Monica fire station on Wednesday to meet with President Biden carrying a printout of his state’s request for a major disaster declaration.
The governor did not want to leave anything to chance, or to Mr. Biden’s successor, according to two people briefed on the episode: President-elect Donald J. Trump was already hurling blame at Mr. Newsom for the devastating blazes.
Mr. Biden quickly approved the declaration; the next day, he promised that the federal government would cover all of California’s costs in responding to the fires for roughly six months. “We are with you,” Mr. Biden pledged from the White House. “We are not going anywhere.”
Of course, the reality is that Mr. Biden is going away in just days, leaving Mr. Newsom to navigate the tricky politics of federal disaster relief and an enormous rebuilding project with a hostile incoming president who has heckled him with personal insults, is calling on him to resign and has never been shy about using natural disasters as political cudgels.
Mr. Newsom, who has feuded with Mr. Trump on and off for years, has emerged as an irresistible early target for the president-elect in his return to power. He is one of the best known Democrats in the country, the outspoken head of the nation’s most populous blue state, and has fashioned himself as a leader of a new wave of opposition to Mr. Trump.
On Friday, Mr. Newsom sent Mr. Trump a pointed letter inviting him to “see the devastation firsthand” and visit Los Angeles. “We must not politicize human tragedy or spread disinformation from the sidelines,” he wrote.
Donald J. Trump had not yet exhausted his New York appeals when he turned to the Supreme Court in a last-ditch move to avoid sentencing, prosecutors argued.
A state funeral for the 39th president on Thursday will bring together all five living presidents and feature a eulogy from President Biden.
The president-elect has raised more than $170 million for his swearing-in, an inaugural record, as wealthy Americans flock to curry favor with him and some give money even without the prospect of V.I.P. access.
Some Pacific Palisades residents said the community had long asked for more detailed fire preparation plans. When a fire raged through the community this week, gridlock ensued.
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The Turkish Consulate was the only building of its size allowed to open without a required fire safety certification, an investigation by the city comptroller found.
The fast-moving fires are intensifying because of fierce winds, the strongest in Southern California in more than a decade.
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The doctor, Maj. Michael Stockin, was accused of sexual misconduct by 41 male patients in one of the largest such cases in military history.