Trump blames Biden, California governor as Los Angeles fires intensify
“But the good news is I’m a great-grandfather, as of today,” Biden finished.
Earlier at the press conference, Biden promised to do “anything and everything for as long as it takes” to “contain the fires” in California, as Los Angeles residents expressed their anger at the response to the disaster.
With an estimated 1000 structures destroyed and the flames still growing, the fires have been far more destructive than the second-most destructive in 2008, according to statistics kept by the Wildfire Alliance, a partnership between the city’s fire department and MySafe:LA.
Officials warned that the gusty winds were forecast to persist with possibly worse conditions to come.
“We are absolutely not out of danger yet, with the strong winds that continue to push through the city and the county today,” Los Angeles City fire chief Kristin Crowley said.
Loading
“We’re facing a historic natural disaster. And I think that can’t be stated strong enough,” Kevin McGowan, director of emergency management for Los Angeles County, said at the press conference.
Biden said it would be “a hell of a long way” and “take time” to get back to normal after the fires.
Newsom attended the briefing with Biden and expressed his “deep gratitude” to the outgoing president for what he said was an immediate response from the White House, including the declaration of a disaster.
Both the Department of Defense and the National Guard have been deployed to help fight the fires, including the use of aircraft.
Vice President Kamala Harris has also been affected by the fire. The neighbourhood where she has a house – up-scale Brentwood – is under an evacuation order, her press secretary Ernie Apreza wrote earlier on X.
“No one was in her home at the time,” Apreza wrote on the social media platform.
“She and the second gentleman are praying for the safety of their fellow Californians, the heroic first responders and Secret Service personnel.”
Writing on her own X account, Harris sent a personal message to the people of California, saying she too is “a proud daughter” of the state who understands “the damage that wildfires have on our neighbours and communities”.
Harris, who was in Washington on Wednesday delivering a eulogy for former president Jimmy Carter, has had to evacuate her LA home twice before.
Trump’s attack plays into a rich vein of Republican dislike for the state of California, the richest economy in the US. The state has a history of strong support for Democrats, much of which is funded by Hollywood’s biggest players, many of whom campaigned and held fundraisers for Harris in her unsuccessful bid for the White House last year.
With AP, Reuters
Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.
