Posted in: NBC, Opinion, Peacock, TV, TV | Tagged: gavin newsom, meet the press, NBC News, opinion
Meet the Press: Newsom on LA Recovery "Marshall Plan;" Trump Threats
On NBC's Meet the Press, California Gov. Gavin Newsom addressed the scope of the L.A. recovery plan, and Trump and the GOP's funding threats.
As California Governor Gavin Newsom sees it, rebuilding Los Angeles post-wildfires will require a "Marshall Plan" level of commitment to the region. Speaking with Jacob Soboroff on NBC News' Meet the Press on Sunday morning, Gov. Newsom noted that the devastation in areas like Pacific Palisades and Altadena has resulted in the worst natural disaster in U.S. history when it comes to the scale, scope, and costs associated so far. "We're just starting to lay out. I mean, we're still fighting these fires, so we're already talking to city leaders. We're already talking to civic leaders. We're already talking to business leaders, with nonprofits. We're talking to labor leaders," Newsom shared, adding that the efforts at "reimagining L.A. 2.0" were focusing on the realities of not just in the moment but also what the future could bring.
In terms of planning and rebuilding, Gov. Newsom sees the upcoming 2028 Olympics as a possible springboard for those efforts – one that will require a "spirit of collaboration and cooperation." Complicating that possibility is incoming POTUS Donald Trump and his lackeys, who were on FOX "News" this morning, continuing to spread misinformation and blatant lies about the situation in California. "President of the United States, Donald Trump, to his credit, was helpful in getting the Olympics to the United States of America, to get it down here in L.A. We thank him for that. This is an opportunity for him to shine, for this country to shine, for California and this community to shine, the opportunity with all of that and all that opportunity and that pride and spirit that comes from not just hosting those three iconic games and venues, but also the opportunity, I think, to rebuild at the same time."
Though outgoing President Joseph Biden has pledged 100% federal disaster recovery relief for the nxt six months, the recovery effort will take much longer than that – and require federal funding from Trump and a GOP-controlled Congress that's already made it clear that they plan on making funding both a political matter and an excuse to force its right-wing societal agenda upon the state. Though Trump hasn't responded to his invitation to visit the site and witness the relief efforts, Gov. Newsom has been hearing the funding threats being thrown out there by those who would raise holy hell if it was being done to their states (like Texas and that power grid that seems to be run by three meth'd-out hamsters on a treadmill that seems to go down if someone sneezes too hard). "So that's his style," he added. "And we take it seriously to the extent that in the past, it's taken a little bit more time. I've been pretty expressive about that in the context of someone threatening our first responders in terms of supporting the immediacy of their needs or recovery."