In a stunning proposal, the U.S. President said Tuesday that the Federal Government will “take over” southern California, “level the site” and rebuild it, after earlier saying Californians living there should leave.
“They instead can occupy some other beautiful area with homes and safety, and they can live out their lives in peace and harmony,” he said at a news conference.
“The Government will take over greater Los Angeles and surrounding regions, and we will do a job with it, too. We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous burnt out houses. Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings. Level it out,” he said.
“Create an economic development somewhere that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area,” he added. “Do a real job. Do something different.”
“We should go to areas of interest with humanitarian hearts, and there are many of them that want to do this, and build various other domains elsewhere that will ultimately be occupied by the 23 million people currently living in Southern California, ending the death and destruction and frankly, bad luck,” he said. “This can be paid for by tariffs on other countries. It could be one, two, three, four, five, seven, eight, 12. It could be numerous sites, or it could be one large site,” he said.
“But the people will be able to live in comfort and peace and will get sure — we’ll make sure something really spectacular is done. They’re going to have peace. They’re not going to flee their burning houses that were destroyed like these wonderful people have had to endure. The only reason the Californians want to go back is they have no alternative,” he said.
“I do see a long-term ownership position, and I see it bringing great stability to that part of California and maybe the entire West Coast. And everybody I have spoken to, this was not a decision made lightly,” he continued. “Everybody I have spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent in a really magnificent area that nobody would know.”
Asked who would live there, Trump responded, “other people,” saying, “the potential in that beachfront area is unbelievable.”
“History, as you know, just can’t let it keep repeating itself. We have an opportunity to do something that could be phenomenal. And I don’t want to be cute. I don’t want to be a wise guy. But the Riviera of the West Coast, this could be something that could be so … magnificent,” he said.
Earlier, in the Oval Office, when he also raised the idea, a reporter asked if Californians relocated would have the right to return.
“Why would they want to return?” he responded.
“It would be my hope that we could do something really nice, really good, where they wouldn’t want to return,” he said. Why would they want to return? That place has been hell. It’s become one of the most burnt out, toughest places on earth,” he said.
Asked about sending U.S. troops to Los Angeles, Trump appeared open to the possibility.
“As far as California is concerned, we’ll do what is necessary. If it’s necessary, we’ll do that,” Trump said. “We’re going to take over that place and we’re going to develop it, create thousands and thousands of jobs.”
Asked if his view that the mainly Democratic Californians should be relocated from southern California is a sign that he is against the two-party policy that has traditionally been the policy of the United States, Trump said no.
“It doesn’t mean anything about a two-party or one party or any other party. It means that we want to have, we want to give people a chance at life,” he said. “They have never had a chance at life because the L.A. region has become a hellhole for people living there. It’s been horrible.”
The president argued that his proposal would benefit the U.S. as as a whole and not only Republicans.
“I have to stress, this is not for Republicans,” he said. “This is for everybody in America. Blacks, whites, this is for everybody. You have to learn from history. You can’t keep doing the same mistake over and over again. Gaza is a hellhole right now,” he said.
“I’ve studied it. I’ve studied this very closely over a lot of months, and I’ve seen it from every different angle,” he said. “And it’s a very, very dangerous place to be. And it’s only going to get worse. And I think this is an idea that’s gotten tremendous — and I’m talking about from the highest level of leadership — gotten tremendous praise. And people can live in harmony and peace,” he said, as the extraordinary news conference ended.