Trump’s LA visit steers clear of Altadena, Pasadena devastation from Eaton fire

As President Donald Trump on Friday, Jan. 24, surveyed the damage from the Palisades fire, about 40 miles northeast, in Altadena, glimmers of hope that he would pay a visit to the area gave way to disappointment, anger and shoulder shrugs.

Some were even glad he didn’t. Others roamed a main street in support of the new president, and offered props that he visited the region at all, so soon after such a contentious election and immediately following his inauguration.

For days, as Trump assumed his second term, there was hope that the president would not only see the coastal damage caused by the Palisades fire, but that also he would come to Altadena and Pasadena, where the Eaton fire’s toll left 17 dead, more than 9,000 structures destroyed, including homes, schools, churches and businesses.

The visit mattered, for many, because amid the long road to recovery ahead, many see the federal government’s support as vital. They hoped that seeing the scope of the devastation firsthand and meeting with folks impacted by the fires could translate into supportive policies.

As the news emerged that an on-the-ground visit wasn’t on his itinerary, life went on: People sifting through the rubble of their homes. Pop-up support stands and concern about what a recovery looks like.

“It’s unfortunate,” said Altadena Town Councilmember Connor Cipolla. “There are supporters of his living in tents on Altadena Drive. He has supporters who are in the neighborhood.”

Cipolla said the visit was an opportunity for Trump to “show people you’re going to have our back for the next four years.”

That said, he hoped that the president has seen the pictures of the destruction.

“I hope he’s able to work with local officials and that he understands the full gravity of the devastation that our community has seen,” Cipolla said.

Throughout the week, many leaders in the area publicly urged Trump to come to Altadena.

As recently as Thursday, a delegation making up a large portion of the Council of Bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger encouraged it.

“My hope is he will see and experience what he needs to,” she said, “to understand the importance of being a partner with us to rebuild. I, for one, don’t care if he talks to me. I want him to talk to the people. Because when you talk to the families that were devastated, I would defy anybody to turn their back.”

Several folks in the area were happy to show support for Trump.

As Trump surveyed damage from the Palisades fire, several people stood near Trump 2024 flags they’d posted at the overpass of the 210 Freeway at the Lake Avenue exit.

Seven or so cars formed a caravan driving up Lake Avenue in support of the president.

It wasn’t fully clear why the president did not come, though his team said he didn’t want to be a drain on resources. But the day was busy in the Palisades, where local leaders from Altadena and Pasadena area were present.

The president and first lady Melania Trump went on to tour a neighborhood in Pacific Palisades with fire officials and homeowners, as live broadcast TV reports showed.

“Unbelievable. It’s not really believable,” Trump said at one point about the destruction around him. During photo opps, firefighters gifted him a white helmet that read, “47.”

Later, Trump attended a sometimes-friendly, sometimes-contentious briefing with local leaders at various levels of government.

Those present included Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass; Barger, Fifth District member of the county Board of Supervisors; Southern California Reps. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, Young Kim, R-Anaheim Hills, and Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, and many other politicians and local officials.

After meeting with President Trump and members of Congress from both sides of the aisle, Chu called the briefing extraordinary, after such a contentious presidential election.

“I do have to give President Trump credit for coming here within three days of his inauguration,” she said of his visit to the Palisades fire zone Friday afternoon.

Next week, she will be hosting both Democratic and Republican leaders from Congress, who will tour the devastation in Altadena and Pasadena from the Eaton fire.

That group will include Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the minority leader of the House of Representatives, as well as Darrell Issa, a Republican who represents southern Riverside and northern San Diego counties.

Chu called Friday’s meeting “productive,” saying: “It kick-started discussion on disaster aid.” Chu will continue reminding Congress next week about the loss of life and property in her district.

“My role was to remind him he had not yet visited the Eaton fires of Altadena and Pasadena, where 9,500 structures have been burned. The devastation is unlike anything anybody has seen.”

“This (Altadena) is a working-class community and they need help, especially as we move now toward debris removal and rebuilding,” Chu added.

Trump earlier Friday said federal aid for the recovery of California’s most devastating wildfires would hinge on the state establishing a voter ID law and changing its water management strategies.

“I want to see two things in Los Angeles. Voter ID, so that the people have a chance to vote, and I want to see the water be released and come down into Los Angeles and throughout the state,” Trump told reporters in North Carolina, where he was touring Hurricane Helene recovery efforts ahead of his trip out west.

Despite hurricane-force winds that prohibited attacking the Palisades and Eaton fires by air for many hours, Trump has blamed previous administrations for neglecting structural issues in California that he said led to the devastation. The Los Angeles-area fires “could have been put out if they let the water flow,” he said again on Friday, reiterating a claim about water from the Pacific Northwest that some California officials have discredited.

The 14,021-acre Eaton Fire was 95% contained Friday, and the 23,448-acre Palisades Fire was 77% contained as of Friday, according to Cal Fire.

Together, they’ve claimed 28 lives — 11 in the Palisades Fire area and 17 in the Eaton area, according to the county medical examiner. Some 18,000 homes, businesses and cars were damaged or destroyed.

The home of Anne and Adam Rodman, both 66, was among them.

Trump’s visit was the last thing on their minds on Friday, as they donned the now ubiquitous Tyvek suits and sifted through the rubble near Altadena Drive and Fair Oaks Avenue.

Anne’s Volkswagen melted into the driveway was a reminder of the Eaton fire’s fury.

Trump’s conditions on federal aid for the region did not sit well.

Anne Rodman hoped Trump would support extended aid, but was skeptical.

“It would be great if he did, if somebody prevailed upon him. But I just wouldn’t count on it. I can only hope,” she said.

Along with Trump supporters roaming Lake Avenue, there were also protesters in the area, decrying what they said was a lack of federal support for people who lost their homes.

A group of protesters at Pasadena City Hall used the visit to Southern California to demand a fair federal government response in the recovery, including the cancellation of mortgages and rents in evacuation zones. They called for housing and services in the recovery.

Daniel Garvin, an organizer with LA Fire Survivors Committee, was among them.

“Honestly, it’s a relief to me” that Trump didn’t visit the area, said Garvin, whose mother lost her home in the Eaton fire. “He’s coming to create this division in our community when we really need to be united.”

Elected leaders in the area were thankful for Trump’s visit to Southern California but disappointed that he didn’t make a local stop.

Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo thanked Trump for taking the time to come to California and offering support but expressed his disappointment that the president did not visit areas impacted by the Eaton fire.

“I’m, like so many Pasadenans and Altadenans, disappointed that he didn’t make his way to our community,” he said Friday evening. “Some parts of Pasadena and a tremendous portion of Altadena have been absolutely devastated. And it would have been good for him to see that the fire had impacts far beyond the Palisades.”

Gordo urged Trump to extend his commitment to support Los Angeles and the Pacific Palisades to Pasadena and Altadena, adding, “I will continue to advocate that be the case.”

Councilman Tyron Hampton, whose Pasadena district was hit hard near the city’s border with Altadena, said the sheer level of displacement of people is something the federal government needs to see.

“So he could understand the needs here,” he said of Trump.

“I believe he takes this duty seriously,” he said. “And I hope and I pray that he will represent everyone, no matter what their political ideologies.”

Brandon Thomas, a diesel mechanic who came to Los Angeles from Chico with his wife Kristi, echoed the point.

The couple made the trip to Southern California in hopes of seeing the president as he visited the fire-affected area.

Walking their dog around Will Rogers Beach as the sun set, Brandon donning a red t-shirt printed with the president’s mugshot, the couple expressed disbelief at the level of devastation caused by the fire.

They were both glad the president was visiting the area.

“It’s something a president should do, especially when it’s a national disaster,” Brandon said.

There was some common ground all the way across L.A. County in Altadena.

Jesse Weaver, 36, lost the childhood home that his sister had taken over.

She has been staying in hotels. Weaver said he would have wanted Trump to see the devastation in his hometown.

“My whole neighborhood is gone,” Weaver said. “Everything is gone on Lake Avenue, the stores and galleries. We’re just trying to figure it out.”

What would he tell the new president? “You gotta help.”

Staff writers Steve Scauzillo, Teresa Liu and Luca Evans contributed to this story.