Biden pledges federal support for ‘astounding’ wildfires as natural disaster upends Los Angeles visit

By Betsy Klein and Donald Judd, CNN

(CNN) — Wildfires in California have broken out and escalated significantly since President Joe Biden touched down in Los Angeles on Monday, where he had initially been set to travel to the Coachella Valley and designate a new national monument.

The trip also appears to have had a personal component: Biden revealed in an interview with USA Today published Wednesday that granddaughter Naomi Biden Neal, who recently moved to California, is due to have a caesarian section on Wednesday.

The wildfires scrambled Biden’s plans and led to him getting a briefing from local officials in Santa Monica before he was scheduled to return to Washington later in the day.

At the briefing, Biden touted the federal response, telling first responders gathered at the Santa Monica fire station where he was briefed, “The governor asked for a declaration that provides for everything the federal government can do, and I’m prepared to sign it today, immediately.”

“We’re prepared to do anything and everything as long as it takes to contain these fires and help reconstruct, make sure we get to normal,” Biden said. “It’s going to be a hell of a long way, it’s going to take time, but the federal government is here to stay as long as you need it and everything you need.”

Biden was in Los Angeles for the birth of his great-grandchild, which he said was the “only one good piece of news” on Wednesday.

“It’s astounding what’s happening. There’s only one piece of good news – my son lives out here and his wife, but they got a notification yesterday their home was probably burned to the ground. Today it appears it is maybe still standing, they’re not sure,” he said. “But the good news is I’m a great-grandfather as of today. My granddaughter – a 10-pound, 4-ounce baby girl – baby boy. So, I think we’re going to remember this day for a lot of wrong reasons.”

First lady Jill Biden later posted a photo of the child on Instagram, introducing their great-grandson William Brannon Neal IV.

Intensifying winds Tuesday led to the cancellation of Biden’s monument excursion, but left the White House with a challenging decision: Scrap the trip and depart early as thousands of Californians face evacuation, or stay in town – a move that would draw on the local public safety resources required for any presidential visit.

“Any time you have a presidential trip, whether it’s personal or official, it’s going to draw a lot of resources from various public safety entities,” said Jonathan Wackrow, a CNN contributor and former US Secret Service agent.

There are Los Angeles city police assigned to the president’s protective detail, potentially some LA county police, and state highway patrol involved in motorcades. There are very minimal fire resources and Emergency Medical Services support involved.

Still, Wackrow said, “All of that is just drawing resources potentially in a critical moment that may be better utilized elsewhere.”

Often when there is a natural disaster, a presidential visit is delayed until the rescue and recovery has resolved enough that the president’s presence would not drain resources. But in this unusual case, the president was already in town.

“In a moment like this where you have an active situation, the White House has to think about limiting movements so you’re not drawing resources that should be deployed to frontline activity,” Wackrow said.

Asked whether it would have made more sense for Biden to return to Washington on Tuesday, Wackrow said, “From an official standpoint, yes, but from a personal standpoint, he’s not going anywhere. He’s there, they have the structure in place, they have the agents, and they have the minimum necessary local resources in place.”

A source familiar with the president’s plans noted that Biden intentionally did not leave his hotel Tuesday after the Coachella Valley stop was nixed, prioritizing avoiding impacts to local roads.

Four US Forest Service Large Air Tankers are operating in Southern California, with an additional tanker en route, 10 federal firefighting helicopters are supporting state and local firefighters, the US Forest Service has prepositioned “dozens of fire engines that are ready to be deployed immediately,” and the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant “to reimburse the state for firefighting costs,” the official said.

Biden has also called on California residents “to remain vigilant and heed the warnings of local officials.”

The White House worked directly with USSS and the Federal Aviation Agency to lift temporary flight restrictions put in place for local news helicopters Tuesday evening, the source familiar with Biden’s plans told CNN, helping to facilitate the dissemination of real-time information for residents.

While Wackrow suggested it could have been better for Biden to depart Tuesday and minimize distractions, he said it presents more of a political optics problem than a logistical one: “The reality is that as long as he limits movement to a finite area, then it would be fine.”

Reporters traveling with the president said they could see fire haze Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning from his hotel in the Century City neighborhood of Los Angeles, just a few miles away from the nearest fire.

Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris’ Los Angeles home was put under an evacuation order Wednesday as thousands of Californians were forced to evacuate rapidly intensifying wildfires in the area.

“Last night, the Vice President’s neighborhood in Los Angeles was put under an evacuation order. No one was in her home at the time. She and the Second Gentleman are praying for the safety of their fellow Californians, the heroic first responders, and Secret Service personnel,” Harris spokesperson Ernesto Apreza said in a statement posted on social media.

Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff maintain a home in the Brentwood neighborhood and have returned there many times over the past four years. They are likely to return to Los Angeles after leaving office.

Apreza added: “The Vice President and President continue to closely monitor the wildfires, remain in touch with state and local officials, and have offered any federal assistance that is needed to help respond and recover from this terrible disaster.”

Harris is currently in Washington and reporters are expected to see her later Wednesday when she participates in the vice-presidential tradition of signing her desk.

There is generally a USSS presence at Harris’ residence, but it would be relatively easy to secure and evacuate the home, according to Wackrow.

The Secret Service, he said, “can secure and evacuate much quicker and I know for a fact the Service has plans for that [natural disasters and related evacuations] in place for all protectees.”

CNN has reached out to USSS for comment.

CNN’s Arlette Saenz contributed to this report.

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