President Trump will travel to California on Saturday as deadly wildfires continue to ravage the state.
White House spokesperson Lindsay Walters said Trump will “meet with individuals impacted by the wildfires,” but provided no other details about his trip.
{mosads}The visit was announced days after Trump triggered a backlash by blaming state officials for the lethal and destructive blaze.
In a series of tweets last weekend, the president said “gross mismanagement” caused the wildfires and threatened to cut federal aid to the Golden State if it does not “Remedy now.”
“With proper Forest Management, we can stop the devastation constantly going on in California. Get Smart!” he wrote.
The messages drew the ire of both firefighters and California celebrities who accused the president of injecting partisan politics into the disaster recovery.
The California Professional Firefighters (CPF) labor group blasted Trump as “ill-informed” about the cause of the wildfires.
“The president’s message attacking California and threatening to withhold aid to the victims of the cataclysmic fires is ill-informed, ill-timed and demeaning to those who are suffering as well as the men and women on the front lines,” said CPF President Brian K. Rice.
Musicians such as Neil Young — who lost his home in the fires — and Snoop Dogg chimed in, with the latter calling Trump ”completely wrong.”
The president later changed his tune. He said on Wednesday that he had spoken with California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) “to let him know that we are with him, and the people of California, all the way!”
California officials said 59 people have died in the two major wildfires affecting Northern and Southern California. In the Camp Fire around Sacramento, 130 people are considered missing and the blaze is believed to have destroyed roughly 9,000 homes. The Woolsey Fire near Los Angeles has destroyed 435 structures.
Updated at 4:05 p.m.