Trump expected to survey Los Angeles-area wildfire damage this week

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump probably will visit the Los Angeles area this week to view the wildfire damage, he said Saturday. The trip is expected to be his first outside the nation’s capital after being inaugurated Monday.

“I will be, probably, at the end of the week. I was going to go, actually yesterday, but I thought it would be better if I went as president,” Trump told NBC’s Kristen Welker in a phone interview. “It’s a little bit more appropriate, I suspect.”

Representatives for Trump did not respond to requests for comment Saturday.

At least 27 people have died and more than 12,000 structures have been destroyed during the catastrophic fires in Pacific Palisades, Altadena and surrounding communities. Asked whether he would sign disaster relief for the region after being inaugurated, Trump said his response will include conditions such as policy changes in California.

“We’re going to be at it from a lot of standpoints,” he said. “We’re going to be demanding that the water be released from the north into the lower parts of California.”

Asked whether he has spoken with Gov. Gavin Newsom, whom Trump has called on to resign over his wildfire response, the president-elect said he had not.

Newsom’s office invited Trump on Jan. 10 to view the devastation.

The governor’s office said that the president-elect’s transition team acknowledged receipt of the invitation but had not otherwise responded.

“As our invitation says, we hope Trump comes to California to see the devastation, to meet firefighters and survivors, and to get the facts instead of sniping from the sidelines,” the governor’s office said in a statement Saturday.

Times staff writer Taryn Luna in Sacramento contributed to this report.