President Trump plans to bring rapid relief to stricken residents of Los Angeles, after touring devastated areas of the city on Friday.
Reports suggest President Trump is aiming to bring federal relief to the city as early as Monday.
Aides are looking into ways the White House and California state government can waive or override rules to allow homeowners to return quickly and rebuild their homes.
According to one source, Trump is “tapping into his history of property development and regulation knowledge.”
Trump has said he wants to make disaster funding contingent on changes to state voting laws and water management.
“I want to see two things in Los Angeles,” Trump told reports.
“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. Those are the two things. After that, I will be the greatest president that California… has ever seen.”
The Los Angeles wildfires are reckoned to be among the costliest natural disasters in American history, with estimates of the damage ranging as high as $200 billion.
In the aftermath, and as fires still rage, there has been intense focus on disaster preparedness, cuts to state and city budgets and official incompetence and corruption.
Trump’s arrival in Los Angeles, in his first official visit as President, drew widespread praise. Hollywood legend Mel Gibson said the President’s arrival was like “like daddy arrived and he’s taking his belt off, you know? So, I think he’ll get some results here quickly.”
Gibson’s home in Malibu burned down during the Palisades wildfire. He speculated that the fires could have been intentionally set.