Vance: Trump FEMA Responses Will Be “Much Better”; LA Mayor Bass Announces Trump Expected to Visit Fire Zone

As devastating wildfires swept through Los Angeles in January 2025, Vice President-elect JD Vance criticized the federal and state response under the Biden administration and pledged that the incoming Trump administration would deliver far better disaster relief. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass held a press conference addressing the devastation, during which she announced that President-elect Trump was expected to visit the area. The segments also highlighted California’s spending priorities under Governor Newsom, including $2.6 billion in new healthcare benefits for migrants while the state faced a $68 billion deficit and dry reservoirs that hampered firefighting efforts.

Vance: “President Biden Has Been Asleep at the Wheel”

Vice President-elect Vance used the LA wildfire crisis to draw a broader contrast between the incoming and outgoing administrations on governance competence.

“President Biden has been asleep at the wheel for a number of different crises,” Vance said. “And I think this final California fire, as it’s really going and getting out of control in Biden’s last week and a half, I do think it drives home just again — we’ve had incompetent governance for so long.”

Vance framed the Trump coalition as fundamentally about competent government: “President Trump often says that the coalition that made him the president was just a common sense coalition. There were conservatives, there were moderates, there were even a few liberals. But the thing that united us is just this basic idea that yes, government should be smaller, but when government does the things that it should do, it ought to do them well. And that’s one of the things that President Trump and I are going to fight to get back to.”

Vance Criticizes California’s Governance Failures

Vance pointed to specific failures in California’s infrastructure and governance that he argued had made the fires worse.

“You can’t criticize the governor of California for, I think, some very bad decisions over a very long period of time,” Vance said. “I mean, some of these reservoirs have been dry for 15, 20 years. The fire hydrants are being reported as going dry while the firefighters are trying to put out these fires. There was a serious lack of competent governance in California. And I think it’s part of the reason why these fires have gotten so bad.”

Vance called for improvement at both levels of government: “We need to do a better job at both the state and federal level.”

California’s Spending Priorities Under Fire

The video highlighted a stark contrast in California’s budget priorities. As the fires raged, the state had recently extended free healthcare to migrants between the ages of 26 and 49, covering an estimated 700,000 additional people at a cost of $2.6 billion per year. This expansion came while California was already carrying a $68 billion deficit.

The juxtaposition with Governor Newsom’s cuts to fire prevention spending — reported at $100 million — drew sharp criticism. The spending disparity became a focal point for those arguing that California’s leadership had misallocated resources at the expense of public safety infrastructure.

As one commentator in the video noted regarding sanctuary cities and states: “They complained about the cost, but they continue to add services.”

Mayor Bass Addresses the Devastation

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass held a press conference in which she addressed the scale of loss from the fires, though her demeanor drew scrutiny from viewers who noted she appeared to be smiling while discussing the tragedy.

“Angelinos, we’re still going through it,” Bass said. “And to any of you and all of you that have experienced a loss, the grief, the anger, the just utter shock — I’ve seen the devastation. It is unbelievable the amount of loss that people have experienced. But we have to get through this.”

Bass also issued a warning about the danger of the fires and the risks ahead: “The way they are moving, the unpredictability of how they’re moving, the swiftness with how they’re moving — you are not going to outrun these fires. If you stay, you’re going to die in them, and it’s not worth it. So if you’re told to evacuate, get the hell out. Save yourselves. You can rebuild, because we are going to rebuild.”

She also cautioned about future dangers: “We also have to be mindful of the risks that will follow these fires. And that is when the rains come and the risk of mudslides.”

Bass Announces Trump Expected to Visit

Bass confirmed that she had spoken with the incoming Trump administration and that the President-elect was expected to visit Los Angeles.

“I joined with the supervisor and the governor, spoke directly with the incoming administration yesterday,” Bass said. “It was a fine call. So I’m not concerned about that. But also, as I mentioned before, a number of my former colleagues who were up for confirmation, I feel like I will have good relations there.”

When asked directly whether the incoming president was expected to visit, Bass responded: “I believe so. I mean, I certainly was a positive response yesterday.”

Key Takeaways

• VP-elect JD Vance said Biden had been “asleep at the wheel” during the LA wildfire crisis and pledged that Trump’s FEMA responses would be “much, much better.”
• Vance criticized California’s governance, pointing to reservoirs that had been dry for 15-20 years and fire hydrants running dry during the firefighting effort.
• California had extended $2.6 billion per year in free healthcare to migrants aged 26-49 while carrying a $68 billion deficit and having cut $100 million in fire prevention spending.
• LA Mayor Karen Bass addressed the devastation but drew criticism for appearing to smile during her press conference; she announced Trump was expected to visit the fire zone.
• Bass warned residents: “You are not going to outrun these fires. If you stay, you’re going to die in them.”