PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. (NewsNation) — President Donald Trump will tour the damage caused by wildfires in Southern California on Friday as he continues to feud with Gov. Gavin Newsom over his handling of the disaster and federal aid.
Nearly 50,000 acres have burned from Los Angeles to San Diego. Eight active wildfires are burning in the region, and a red flag warning remains in effect. Residents are also reeling from the deadly and destructive Palisades and Eaton fires.
Trump has criticized the state for allegedly not sending enough water into the cities, while Newsom accuses the president of spreading misinformation.
The Trump administration has remained largely silent about specific plans for Friday. Trump may visit the region in person to survey the widespread damage, or he could choose to view it from a helicopter.
Newsom, Trump spar on California water policy
Tensions have escalated between Newsom and Trump over how the wildfires have been managed.
Since the fires broke out on Jan. 7, Trump has used social media and interviews to accuse the state of sending too much water to the Pacific Ocean instead of south toward Los Angeles and to highlight how some hydrants ran dry in the early hours of the firefight in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.
In the first hours of his second term, Trump called on federal officials to draft plans to route more water to the crop-rich Central Valley and densely populated cities in the southern part of the state.
Two days later, he threatened to withhold federal disaster aid unless California leaders change the state’s approach to its management of water.
Trump blames Newsom for what he calls the city’s inability to tame some of the deadly fires, while Newsom denies this claim.
On Thursday, Newsom signed legislation directing $2.5 billion in relief to support response and recovery efforts for Los Angeles.
