Trump to Visit California on Friday After Wildfire Devastation

‘It would be better if I went as president,’ Trump said, after considering an earlier visit.

Utility workers restore a gas line near homes burned by the Palisades Fire, in Pacific Palisades, Calif., on Jan. 17, 2025. Fred Greaves /Reuters

President-elect Donald Trump said on Jan. 19 that he will visit the Los Angeles area—which wildfires have scorched since early January—on Jan. 24, following his Jan. 20 inauguration ceremony.

As of Jan. 17, the fires had killed at least 27 people and destroyed more than 10,000 structures in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena residential boroughs. Last week, officials estimated that more than 12,000 structures in total had been damaged or destroyed throughout the Los Angeles area.