Standing on his golf course less than a mile from the Rancho Palos Verdes landslide zone, where hundreds of homes are without gas and electricity, former President Trump on Friday called his property “very solid” and called on the government to help the struggling town.
“It’s a very wealthy area, but there are also people who live here who are elderly and on fixed incomes whose homes are going to be, you know, thrown into the Pacific Ocean if something isn’t done,” the former president said.
Trump spoke to reporters at a campaign news conference at the oceanfront Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles, which he bought from bankrupt developers in 2002 after the 18th hole slid into the ocean.
The landslide-prone city is under a state of emergency declared by Gov. Gavin Newsom this month due to extreme ground movement triggered by back-to-back rainy winters. Neighborhoods near the golf course are under an evacuation warning from the city, with the ground moving at about 9 to 12 inches (22 to 30 centimeters) per week.
Before beginning his lengthy speech at an outdoor lectern — the Pacific Ocean behind him with Catalina Island visible after the morning fog cleared — Trump invited Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor John Cruikshank to speak.
“Of course I’m a little nervous. This is a very important matter,” Cruikshank said, holding a red “Make America Great Again” hat.
Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor John Cruikshank holds a “Make America Great Again” hat while listening to former President Trump speak during a news conference at Trump National Golf Course on Friday.
(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
Cruikshank told the Times on Thursday that he had been trying for days to secure a spot on the Republican presidential nominee’s schedule. He had hoped to talk to Trump about the candidate’s landslide victory before the news conference and did not expect to be able to speak.
At the podium, Cruikshank pleaded for help for the town of 40,000 people.
“We think we can solve the problem, but we really need help from the state of California and the federal government,” he said. “We have solutions for this, but the problem is bigger than the city of Rancho Palos Verdes.”
Trump, who is actively pursuing a long-standing plan to build up to 23 homes on the property, has struggled over the years to get city approval for the development, largely because of the area’s instability.
The original owners of the course, then called Ocean Trails Golf Club, went bankrupt after the 18th hole fell into the Pacific in a 1999 landslide while the course was still under construction. Trump purchased the property in 2002 for $27 million.
He brought up the club Friday in attacking San Francisco leaders, who he said have allowed the city to decline. Trump compared the cost of his club to the infamous $1.7 million public restrooms that opened this year in San Francisco.
“They built a toilet for $1.7 million, and it’s not even pretty. I’ve seen pictures of it. I built all this for less than that,” he said, waving his hand at his property.
As for the landslides, Trump said they “are something that can be taken care of.”
“This area is very solid,” he said of his property. “But if you go down a few miles, you’ll see something pretty amazing. The mountain is moving and it can be stopped, but they need help from the government. So I hope they get that help.”
Trump did not indicate whether he was referring to the state or federal government.
City officials say the golf club is about a half-mile from the active landslide zone.
Trump has repeatedly criticized the Golden State but praised his club, saying he never needs to advertise because “it’s always packed with golfers” and is “one of the best courses in the world.”
He added: “I have the ocean. Pebble Beach has the bay. The ocean is better than the bay.”
