Legendary actor and director Mel Gibson, known for his outspoken support of President Donald Trump, shared his thoughts on the president’s recent visit to Los Angeles to address the devastating Pacific Palisades wildfire.
The blaze, which torched over 23,000 acres, destroyed countless homes, including Gibson’s Malibu mansion.
President Trump arrived in California on Friday night after meeting with Hurricane Helene survivors earlier in the day. At LAX, he toured the damage caused by the massive wildfire and met with residents affected by the disaster.
During his visit, Trump pledged full federal support for rebuilding efforts and held a roundtable discussion with state and local officials, including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
In the meeting, Trump pressed Bass on the delays in clearing debris and starting rebuilding efforts.
“Six months is no good,” Trump said, addressing complaints about prolonged cleanup timelines.
He suggested that local residents, eager to rebuild, should be allowed to clear the debris themselves, bypassing bureaucratic delays.
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“If people are willing to get a dumpster and do it themselves and clean it out, there’s not that much left. It’s all incinerated,” Trump argued.
To be clear, Karen Bass was in the same meeting with the Public Works Director when he said debris would not be removed for 18 months.
This meeting took place hours before the roundtable with Trump and wildfire victims.
Bass sat there and lied to their faces. pic.twitter.com/M7PJd7I5Ar
— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) January 25, 2025
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Mayor Bass thanked Trump for his visit and support in a post on social media.
“Thank you, President Trump, for coming to Los Angeles to help us rebuild,” she wrote on X. “We are grateful for your partnership.”
You only showed the handshake cause you knew you was Ghana get cooked pic.twitter.com/BqXngHoewR
— ALX (Vine Nationalist) (@alx) January 25, 2025
Gibson, who lost his Malibu home in the wildfire, reacted to Trump’s firm handling of California’s Democrat leadership during a Friday interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity.
“It’s like daddy arrived, and he’s taking his belt off,” Gibson joked, referring to Trump’s approach to holding local officials accountable.
“So I think he’ll get some results here quickly.”
MEL GIBSON on Trump heading to California today: “It’s like daddy arrived and he’s taking his belt off.”
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 25, 2025
The actor, 69, revealed that his mansion was completely incinerated during the fires.
“I’m doing good. You know, it’s just a thing. But, you know, it is obviously kind of devastating. It’s emotional,” Gibson said in an interview with NewsNation.
Reflecting on the loss, he added humorously, “I’ve been relieved from the burden of my stuff because it’s all in cinders.”
At the time of the wildfire, Gibson was in Austin, Texas, recording a podcast with Joe Rogan.
He described the unease he felt while hearing about the fire in his neighborhood.
“I was kind of ill at ease while we were talking because I knew my neighborhood was on fire,” Gibson said. “When I got home, sure enough, [my home] wasn’t there.”
When asked by Hannity about the response from Los Angeles city and state leaders, Gibson expressed sympathy for his neighbors, calling them a “good bunch” who will face a challenging rebuilding process.
“You meet people all the time who’ve lost their homes. And you talk and commiserate and buck each other up, and everyone’s putting on a brave face,” he said.
In a January 16 announcement, President Trump named Gibson, along with actors Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone, as “special ambassadors to Hollywood.”
The initiative is part of Trump’s second-term cultural effort to revitalize the entertainment industry in the United States.
“It is my honor to announce Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone to be Special Ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“They will serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!”
As Gibson works alongside the administration to rebuild Hollywood and his own neighborhood, he remains optimistic about the recovery efforts in Los Angeles.
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