President Donald Trump gave Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass a signed copy of the Bible following a Wednesday Oval Office meeting to discuss Palisades wildfire recovery.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Bass and GOP Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger met with Trump for half an hour, giving him an update on the recovery effort and requesting federal funds.
“This afternoon we met with President Trump and Administration officials to advocate for families who lost everything,” they said in a joint statement. “We had a very positive discussion about FEMA and other rebuilding funds as well as the support of the President to continue joining us in pressuring the insurance companies to pay what they owe — and for the big banks to step up to ease the financial pressure on L.A. families.”
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) April 23, 2026
Bass told the Los Angeles Times that the president appeared receptive to their request for $16 billion in federal funding for the city and county, which suffered devastating wildfires, both in Pacific Palisades along the coast as well as inland in Altadena, in the northeast part of Los Angeles County, in early January 2025, shortly before Trump took office.
Fox News reported that the January 2025 L.A. wildfires scorched more than 37,700 acres and destroyed over 16,200 structures.
Barger, who is the only Republican on the five-seat L.A. County Board of Supervisors, told CNN after the meeting, “I wish every American could meet our President one on one and they’d understand the love he has for our country and the commitment he has to addressing issues across the board. He could not have been more gracious.”
She added that Trump asked good, hard questions, indicating that he had been kept up to date on what is happening in the recovery efforts. Trump has been critical of Bass’s leadership in the past, calling her “incompetent” earlier this year.
Asked by CNN about the reported “swag” that the president gave them, Barger said, “He gave me hats and a signed Bible, and I will cherish them.”
She confirmed that Bass also received a signed copy of the Bible.
NEWS: @kathrynbarger says @realDonaldTrump gave her and @MayorOfLA @KarenBassLA signed bibles after their visit to the Oval Office.
Barger says she was also gifted hats: “and I will cherish them.”
She says the President “could not have been more gracious.” pic.twitter.com/OwsqYkf1EH
— Elex Michaelson (@Elex_Michaelson) April 24, 2026
Trump participated in the “America Reads the Bible” taking place in Washington, D.C., this week, reading a famous passage, 2 Chronicles, chapter 7: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
President Trump read 2 Chronicles 7:11–22 during “America Reads the Bible,” joining nearly 500 leaders in a weeklong event honoring America’s 250th anniversary. pic.twitter.com/M8CYnr2zkz
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 21, 2026
Reality TV personality Spencer Pratt, who is running against Bass in this year’s mayoral election, mocked her for accepting gifts from Trump.
look at the MAGA merch! Karen Bass sold her soul to Trump in a last ditch desperation move ahead of the election LMAO pic.twitter.com/i4u9G3MVs9
— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) April 22, 2026
Trump posted on Truth Social following the Wednesday meeting, “I will be working with the Mayor, Supervisor, and everyone else to help this tragic situation go smoothly. In particular, I want to thank our Great EPA Administrator, Lee Zeldin, for the incredible speed with which he has already accomplished his very complex Environmental work.”
It was my Great Honor to meet with the Mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger (Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors), and the Supervisor’s Chief of Staff, Anna Mouradian, to discuss the progress made on the horrific fires that ravaged Los… pic.twitter.com/zVAjd3wG9G
— Commentary: Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) April 23, 2026
According to media reports, Zeldin’s personal engagement with California state and local officials helped speed up the permitting process.
“We had been working with the administration ever since (Trump) sent EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin out to help us, and we’ve been working closely with him,” Bass told KNBC-TV. “Administrator Zeldin was a colleague of mine in the House of Representatives. We worked on very controversial issues together.”
Barger agreed, saying Zeldin’s involvement “was a game-changer.”
“He helped convey to Trump the problems that still stood in the residents’ way of rebuilding — obstacles that center on insurance and banking,” she told the Los Angeles Times.
About 2,000 permits have been approved by city and county agencies, Zelden said in a Wednesday social media post. He further noted that the EPA removed hazardous materials from 13,000 properties.
The EPA leader also pointed out that the federal Small Business Administration has delivered $3.2 billion in disaster loans.
In December, California Gov. Gavin Newsom called for $33.9 billion in federal money for wildfire recovery and prevention, which includes the combined $16 billion that L.A. city and county are seeking.
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