California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) will be standing on the tarmac with hand outstretched to greet President Donald Trump when his plane lands to begin a visit of the fire-ravaged Los Angeles area on Friday afternoon.
“I look forward to being there on the tarmac to thank the president, welcome him, and we’re making sure that all the resources she needs for a successful briefing are provided to him,” Newsom said on Thursday, according to Politico.
“There’s no limit to the resources we’ll provide for the briefing.”
Newsom previously admitted while he had invited Trump to California, he had not had any contact with the president before his visit, but planned on welcoming him on the tarmac of Hollywood Burbank Airport, where Air Force One is expected to land, as Breitbart’s Joel Pollak has noted.
Trump on Wednesday told Fox News’s Sean Hannity a consideration of whether or not he would meet one-on-one with Newsom was not a priority.
The president is set to land in California after a visit earlier Friday to North Carolina, which is still recovering from Hurricane Helene in September.
The closely watched visit could determine disaster aid for the state and how Trump will work with Democratic governors throughout his four years in office, the Hill notes.
Republicans have heaped criticism on Newsom, a possible 2028 presidential candidate, for his handling of the wildfires, with Trump leading the way.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has suggested placing conditions on any federal disaster aid to the state.
For his part, Trump also told Fox News, “I don’t think we should give California anything until they let water flow down into their system,” repeating assertions the state could better combat its fires in Los Angeles if it directed water from the northern part of the state to its southern part.
