Pacific Palisades residents flocked to their homes Saturday after President Donald Trump's visit the day before.
Trump met with residents and local officials on Friday and held a roundtable discussion at a local fire station, allowing those affected by the fires to raise their concerns for the first time.
President Donald Trump's First Lady Melania Trump speaks with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass during a briefing after a tour of the Pacific Palisades area affected by recent wildfires on Friday, January 24, 2025 in Los Angeles. Listen when you speak.
(This author joins and urges the President to appoint a special master, as the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund did, and that California is not actually all liberal pet policies.) , confirmed that the money would be spent on rebuilding fire-damaged areas.
During the meeting, local residents raised concerns that they were told it would take 18 months to clear much of the debris and the local permitting process stopped them from rebuilding.
Moreover, most of the affected residents were even prohibited from visiting the ruins of their homes. Trump sided with residents against the city, and when Mayor Karen Bass pushed back, he insisted they have immediate access to their property.
The bus said we could go within a week. “A week is a long time,” Trump said, saying residents should be able to go soon.
The next day, residents rushed to the Congress Point in Parking Lot #3 in nearby Santa Monica. There, a police escort took a caravan of residents to high ground. of the town.
They insisted on being taken to other areas (including Marques Knowles, “Alphabet Street” and the Bluffs), with many claiming that President Trump had promised them access.
Some were turned away, but some persisted and were able to visit the lot, at least for a short period of time.
“I personally needed to go back,” one resident told Breitbart News. “We weren't here [the fire] It happened and luckily my parents heard us and evacuated. … Today, if we can get in and not have our parents sit around for hours, it worked. ”
Some residents reported continued refusal by National Guard soldiers and police. Those who were able to enter the restricted area saw “half-eaten food and empty water bottles” and were left with service workers repairing the service, preparing for residents to return. reported that they were disappointed to see that they were removing the danger.
Some confirmed that there was nothing left in the house except dust and rubble. However, some were able to salvage the few memorabilia that survived, including ceramic Christmas ornaments from life in the neighborhood.
“I went up because my friend from Alphabet Street found something important to her and salvageable.''
Many have expressed a commitment to rebuild and hope President Trump's pressure on Los Angeles and California will allow them to do so.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sundays from 7pm to 10pm (4pm to 7pm) on Sirius XM Patriot. he is the author of Agenda: What Trump should do in his first 100 daysavailable for pre-order on Amazon. he is also the author Trump's Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of President Donald Trumpnow available on Audible. He is the winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpollak.
