Will Trump Help LA?

Susan Estrich on Jan 23, 2025

The fires got the new president's attention. In his inaugural address, he pointed to them: "From weeks ago, without even a token of defense, they're raging through the houses and communities, even affecting some of the wealthiest and most powerful individuals in our country, some of whom are sitting here right now. They don't have a home any longer."

And then he politicized them. "But we can't let this happen. Everyone is unable to do anything about it. That's going to change."

Actually, it's not "without even a token of defense." Thousands of firefighters, 30% of them convicted criminals doing this essentially for free, are putting their lives -- and future health -- on the line still to fight these fires. How about a shoutout for them?

As for the people "sitting here right now" who were "some of the wealthiest and most powerful individuals in our country," I'm certainly sorry for them, but not as sorry as I am for the people still in shelters, newly homeless. How about a shoutout for them, too?

And then the politics. Who is the "everyone" who is unable to do anything about it, and exactly how is that going to change? Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, didn't become America's Mayor in this crisis (that was Rudy Giuliani, back on 9/11, and look what happened to him), but she didn't cause these fires either. And neither did California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who Trump has called "incompetent." Extreme weather conditions made small fires grow out of control. The helicopters and planes that are so crucial to fighting fires like this could not fly in this weather. It hasn't rained. These extreme weather conditions have been tied to climate change. How is that going to change?

By the time you read this, Trump may be on his way to Los Angeles to survey the damage. If his inaugural address is any indication (not to mention his rally speech of the night before), he will forgo any opportunity to be gracious, to be a unifier, to be a president of all the people instead of the candidate of some of them.

One of the most revealing recent surveys I've read about was The New York Times poll that found that more people like Trump's policies than like him. Trump thinks everyone but his enemies loves him. They don't. He thinks he won a landslide victory. He didn't. He thinks he has to keep attacking those who have attacked him in the past. He doesn't.

This was his last election. He doesn't need to keep serving up red meat to his hard core. He doesn't need to keep dividing us in the hope, which proved true, that his side will be bigger. He won. He doesn't need to keep running a negative campaign.

The only point to his coming to Los Angeles in the first instance is to show people here that he understands, and will be there to help, that he is a president of all the united states, not just the red ones.

Newsom has extended the olive branch. "In the face of one of the worst natural disasters in America's history, this moment underscores the critical need for partnership, a shared commitment to facts, and mutual respect -- values that enable civil discourse, effective governance, and meaningful action," Newsom said in a statement on Monday. "I look forward to President Trump's visit to Los Angeles and his mobilization of the full weight of the federal government to help our fellow Americans recover and rebuild. Where our shared principles are aligned, my administration stands ready to work with the Trump-Vance administration to deliver solutions and serve the nearly 40 million Californians we jointly represent."

Newsom has had harsh words in the past for Trump, as Trump has for Newsom. This is a chance for the new president to move beyond the page of angry candidate. He doesn't like Newsom. Newsom doesn't like him. Who cares? Los Angeles is in trouble and needs federal help. Will Trump give it to us?

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To find out more about Susan Estrich and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.