(Bloomberg) — Vice President Kamala Harris is canceling a three-nation overseas trip to remain in the US and assist in the federal response to the catastrophic wildfires in her home state of California.
“In response to the historic wildfires in Los Angeles, the vice president has made the decision to cancel her and the second gentleman’s upcoming trip to Singapore, Bahrain, and Germany,” her press secretary, Ernesto Apreza, said in a statement on Thursday night.
Harris was scheduled to leave Monday on the five-day trip, during her final week in office before President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated. The visit to three critical US allies was her last planned overseas traveled as vice president and follows a failed, whirlwind presidential campaign that ended in defeat.
Harris has faced speculation about her next move with some allies seeing a run for governor of California in 2026 as a natural step. Harris was born in the state and she and her husband, Doug Emhoff, have a home in Brentwood, a West Los Angeles enclave.
The Los Angeles area has been grappling with its worst natural disaster in decades, with strong winds fanning flames that have torn through communities. Apreza said in a post on X earlier that Harris’ home had been put under an evacuation order earlier in the week and that no one was there at the time.
“She and the second gentleman are praying for the safety of their fellow Californians, the heroic first responders, and Secret Service personnel,” Apreza said in the Wednesday post.
At least five people have died in the disaster so far, with officials fearing the death toll could rise.
The wildfires are poised to become among the most costly in US history, with insurers potentially incurring losses of over $20 billion, according to analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. The blazes are likely to cause between $52 billion to $57 billion in damages and economic loss, a preliminary estimate by AccuWeather Inc. said.
Harris and Biden received a briefing from senior federal officials on the response to the wildfires earlier Thursday, where the vice president called the situation “apocalyptic.”
Biden also canceled a trip to Rome and Vatican City to help direct the federal response.
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