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    In move to take over local D.C. police, Trump again pivots to ‘incompetent’ L.A., state leaders
    • August 12, 2025

    While ordering a federal takeover of local police in Washington D.C. on Monday, Aug. 11, President Donald Trump pivoted to a familiar theme: Slamming Los Angeles and state leaders over the region’s wildfire recovery efforts, saying he hoped L.A. leaders were watching as federal authorities do in D.C. what he says local agencies are not.

    During a roughy 1-hour-and-20-minute press conference from the White House, Trump spent a few minutes criticizing Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass over their actions since the the Eaton and Palisades fires broke out on Jan. 6, killing 31 people and destroying thousands of structures.

    The purpose of the press conference was to announce the federalization of the Washington D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department and deployment of the National Guard in the Capitol due to what Trump described as “crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor.”

    But he couched federal action in D.C. in the context of swift federal efforts in the wake of the fires, calling local leaders “incompetent” for not doing moving as fast.

    While fielding questions from the media, Trump brought up Los Angeles and claimed residents who want to rebuild are not receiving the necessary permits.

    “The mayor’s incompetent and Gavin Newscum is incompetent,” Trump said.

    Trump’s words prompted a swift reply locally.

    Zach Seidl, a spokesperson for Bass, said L.A.’s recovery is on track to be the fastest in state history. To date, Seidl said, the city has approved more than 425 rebuilding plans for projects in the Pacific Palisades with hundreds more in the pipeline.

    “Rebuilding is a deeply personal choice. Mayor Bass has cut red tape and streamlined the permitting process so that, when families are ready to rebuild, nothing stands in their way,” Seidl said in a statement.

    Trump claimed that while local permits were lagging behind, federal permits would be available much sooner for fire victims.

    State and local officials say that in the wake of the fires, Trump has long fixated on federal permits for property owners. But they note that such permits are not really the issue for most homeowners in the rebuilding process, they added.

    “The federal government doesn’t issue permits for rebuilding,” said Tara Gallegos, a spokesperson in Newsom’s office, in a statement. With all his real estate ‘experience,’ you’d think the President would know that already.

    “As usual, he either doesn’t know what he is talking about, or he is purposefully trying to mislead the public.”

    Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, who represents the Palisades, said while Trump should waive federal permits, they do not apply to almost anything a homeowner has to do to rebuild.

    Sherman said a federal permit may apply to a large project impacting federal waters. He said Trump is not prepared to solve the local issues on the ground around rebuilding in both fire areas.

    “What he really should be doing is helping the homeowners financially,” Sherman said.

    Earlier this year, Newsom requested about $40 billion in supplemental fire disaster assistance, which Sherman said Trump and Republicans have ignored.

    Trump toured the Palisades fire area in late January and joined a roundtable with local officials where he said he would, “give you everything you want.”

    He did not make a stop in Altadena during the trip.

    “Trump is screaming at Karen Bass, ‘you’re doing a bad job,’ and is refusing to help us,” Sherman said.

    White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said Monday afternoon that the permitting process is moving at a snail’s pace due to Newsom, who she called a failed leader, and Bass being more concerned with national politics than local issues.

    “President Trump’s historic leadership following the LA wildfires led to the fastest hazardous debris operation in history,” Jackson said in a statement. “This has played a critical role in helping communities recover from tragedy.”

    Earlier this summer, Trump deployed the National Guard and United States Marines to Southern California in response to protests over the administration’s immigration enforcement. Newsom and local leaders decried the use of the U.S. Military in an American city.

    “He was just getting warmed up in Los Angeles. He will gaslight his way into militarizing any city he wants in America,” Newsom wrote on social media Monday. “This is what dictators do.”

    In response to Trump’s announcement, Newsom’s press office posted on social media, saying that Washington D.C. can expect the following, “soldiers sitting around with nothing to do, lies from all levels of the federal government, no meaningful impact.”

    The announcement of federalizing law enforcement in D.C. came on the day a federal judge will begin hearing arguments on whether Trump’s administration violated the law by deploying the National Guard and U.S. Marines in Los Angeles in support of the administration’s immigration crackdown.

    ​ Orange County Register 

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