'Recipe for political tumult': Analyst flags major crisis Trump will face on Day One

Donald Trump will enter office next week with a major crisis on his hands, and an analyst said his track record from his first administration doesn't inspire confidence that he'll properly manage this one.

The wildfires that have devastated Los Angeles since last week quite likely will still be burning as the president-elect takes the oath of office Monday, and Trump is considering a visit to the area in the first few days of his administration to showcases a "fix-it" image to contrast against California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass — whom he blames for the crisis, wrote CNN's Stephen Collinson.

"Even if most of the flames are doused by Inauguration Day, the sudden prospect of finding billions of dollars in federal aid to rebuild miles of charred homes already threatens to complicate the task of passing Trump’s agenda with a tiny GOP House majority determined to cut federal spending," Collinson wrote.

"Trump’s rush to blame Democrats and progressive environmental policies for the catastrophe indicates his antipathy to fighting for federal cash for one of the bluest states in his first weeks in office."

The real estate magnate-turned-reality TV star-turned-politician told Newsmax he was "already putting" his "developer cap" on in anticipation for what will be a massive reconstruction effort, but Collinson cast doubt on Trump's ability to project the sort of empathy that might win over skeptics of his leadership.

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"During his last spell in the White House, Trump sometimes suggested that he’d break with established practice and withhold disaster aid to create political leverage against Democratic jurisdictions," Collinson wrote. "He appeared to deeply resent sending hurricane aid to the US citizens of Puerto Rico, for instance, accusing 'inept politicians' of using 'ridiculously high amounts' to pay off other obligations."

Trump's early commitment to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 also fizzled out when it became clear the crisis would hurt his 2020 re-election chances, Collinson said, and Trump has already warned California's Democratic leaders that he would let the state burn unless Newsom made changes he wanted to see in water management.

"Trump’s supporters may see this as a legitimate use of presidential power to force California to change environmental policies that the incoming administration regards as key to causing the wildfires," Collinson wrote. "But attempting to use the power of the federal purse to compel policy changes in cities and states is a recipe for political tumult."