Trump, LA Mayor Spar After He Tells Her How to Govern: ‘You Have Emergency Powers… Exercise Them’
President Donald Trump and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass got into a tense back and forth Friday night about the bureaucratic tape that needs to be cut for those affected by wildfires to rebuild.
Trump said LA. County residents who lost everything should bypass standard permits. Bass agreed but expressed the need for properties to be safe before the foundations of new homes are laid.
After the president told Bass how to govern at a marathon press conference, the two talked over each other several times.
Bass said she wanted residents to be able to clear out debris now but warned of rain.
“But we are going to move as fast as we can,” she said. “But we want you to be safe. We want you to be back in your homes immediately.”
Trump cut in and replied, “But the people are willing to clean out their own debris.”
“Yes, and they can!” the mayor snapped back.
Trump responded, “You should let them do it because I know the time you hire contractors is going to be two years.”
Bass and Trump talked over each other until Trump took the floor:
TRUMP: People are willing to get a dumpster and do it themselves and clean it out. There’s not that much left. It’s all incinerated. And, you know, it’s just going to take a long time if you can do some of it. But a lot of these people I know that guy right there that’s talking. I know my people. You’ll be on that thing tonight throwing this stuff away and your site will be it’ll look perfect within 24 hours. And that’s what he wants to do. He doesn’t want to wait around for seven months until the city hires some demolition contractor that’s gonna charge him $25,000 to do his lot. I think you have – you have emergency powers just like I do, and I’m exercising my emergency powers. You have to exercise them also.
BASS: I did exercise them–
TRUMP: You have–
BASS: I signed an emergency declaration –
TRUMP: You have some very powerful emergency powers and you can do everything within 24 hours.
BASS: Yes, and if individuals want to clear out their property, they can.
Bass said she believed people could return to their properties within a week before Trump cut in and interrupted her.
“That’s a long time, a week, I’ll be honest,” he said. “To me, everyone standing in front of their house, they want to go to work and they’re not allowed to do it.”
Bass fired back, “The most important thing is for people to be safe.”
Watch above via Fox News.
