President Donald Trump will make a rare visit to the Los Angeles area Tuesday as he raises money for his re-election bid.
The visit comes one week after he sent a delegation to the Los Angeles area to examine the local response to the homelessness crisis, something Trump has criticized as being the result of liberal political policies, particularly in so-called sanctuary cities.
Trump is not expected to make any public appearances during his visit. He is expected to attend a fundraiser hosted by Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, RNC co-chairman Tommy Hicks Jr., campaign manager Brad Parscale and Trump Victory finance chair Todd Ricketts.
CNBC reported that the fundraiser will be held at the home of real estate developer Geoffrey Palmer, a major Trump and Republican Party donor. Tickets for the event range in cost from $1,000 for individuals to $100,000 for couples who want to attend a VIP reception, roundtable discussion with the president and a photo opportunity, according to the CNBC report.
Although specific details of presidential travels are never made public in advance, motorists in the Beverly Hills and West Los Angeles areas can anticipate rolling street and freeway closures as Trump is driven to and from the event. The president typically lands at Los Angeles International Airport and is flown by helicopter to Santa Monica Airport before transferring to a motorcade.
Trump is expected to attend a fundraiser in the San Francisco area earlier in the day. He will likely spend the night in the Los Angeles area, and is expected to travel to San Diego on Wednesday.
With California considered a major Democrat stronghold, Trump visits to the state are rare. He attended a Beverly Hills fundraiser and had a private dinner at his Rancho Palos Verdes golf club on April 5 — a visit that lasted about six hours.
In November, Trump toured areas of Ventura and Los Angeles counties damaged by the Woolsey Fire. He attended another Beverly Hills fundraiser in March 2018.
Trump sent a delegation of unnamed administration officials to the Los Angeles area last week to examine efforts to combat homelessness. Mayor Eric Garcetti said he took the group on a tour of the city’s Unified Homelessness Response Center, a pair of homeless shelters and the Jordan Downs public housing complex.
The Washington Post reported that Trump had dispatched the group as part of a wide-reaching effort to address homelessness, with a particular focus on Los Angeles’ skid row area.
Speaking to Fox News in July, Trump discussed the homelessness issue and said, “It’s very sad. Very sad. It’s a phenomenon that started two years ago. It’s disgraceful.”
He hinted during the interview that he may “intercede” to “get that whole thing cleaned up.”
“… I’m looking at it very seriously. We’re doing some other things, as you probably know … but we’re looking at it very seriously,” he said.
Trump said many U.S. cities are doing well, but others run by his political opponents who have adopted sanctuary policies are not.
“They’re usually sanctuary cities run by very liberal people and the states (that) are run by very liberal people, but the thing that nobody can figure out is, do these governors or mayors, do they really think this is a positive? Do they really think this is OK? Because it’s not,” Trump said. “It’s destroying their city and it’s destroying the whole way of life. And it’s not our country. It’s not what our country’s all about.”
Garcetti sent Trump a letter last week after hosting the delegation, saying the increase in homelessness is “a problem that predates your administration and mine.”
“We must put politics aside when it comes to responding to this heartbreaking humanitarian crisis,” Garcetti wrote. “I hope you will provide the federal assistance that is needed to help cities stop homelessness in America and help our veterans and most vulnerable of citizens. This is our watch. This is our time. This must be done. I look forward to working with you and your administration on this issue.”
Democratic presidential hopeful and former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke will also be in the Los Angeles area Tuesday. He is scheduled to visit the Downtown Women’s Center on skid row, then take part in an “equity and justice roundtable with Equity First Alliance and Cage-Free Cannabis — organizations focused on repairing the harms of the War on Drugs,” according to his campaign. The roundtable discussion will be held at the Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre.