Los Angeles wildfires upend previously scheduled presidential visit

Wildfires in California have broken out and escalated significantly since President Joe Biden touched down in Los Angeles on Monday, where he had initially been set to travel to the Coachella Valley and designate a new national monument.

Wildfires in California have broken out and escalated significantly since President Joe Biden touched down in Los Angeles on Monday, where he had initially been set to travel to the Coachella Valley and designate a new national monument. The trip also appears to have a personal component: Biden revealed in an interview with USA Today published Wednesday that granddaughter Naomi Biden Neal, who recently moved to California, is due to have a caesarian section on Wednesday. Intensifying winds Tuesday led to the cancellation of Biden’s monument excursion, but left the White House with a challenging decision: Scrap the trip and depart early as thousands of Californians face evacuation, or stay in town – a move that would draw on the local public safety resources required for any presidential visit. “Any time you have a presidential trip, whether it’s personal or official, it’s going to draw a lot of resources from various public safety entities,” said Jonathan Wackrow, a CNN contributor and former US Secret Service agent. There are Los Angeles city police assigned to the president’s protective detail, potentially some LA county police, and state highway patrol involved in motorcades. There are very minimal fire resources and Emergency Medical Services support involved. Still, Wackrow said, “All of that is just drawing resources potentially in a critical moment that may be better utilized elsewhere.”