Donald Trump blames 'matchstick' trees and dead leaves for California wildfires
The Republican president met with
"When trees fall down, after a short period of time, about 18 months, they become really dry. They become really like a matchstick.... and they just explode," Trump told reporters on the tarmac.
"Also leaves, if you have years of leaves, dried leaves on the ground, it just sets it up. It's really a fuel for a fire. So they have to do something about it."
In a round-table briefing shortly afterward, the Democratic governor told the president that forest management is unquestionably a piece of the problem, but noted that 57 percent of the forests in
The visit brought into sharp relief the differences between the two on climate change and COVID-19. The governor, wearing a mask in his meeting with the president, says the fires are a direct result of a "climate damn emergency" and vowed to accelerate efforts to develop green energy in
Newsom administration officials distributed an eight-page briefing packet to the president and his staff, including charts showing the rise of
"The hots are getting hotter. The drys are getting drier," Newsom told Trump, noting the state is also experiencing grass and brush fires in addition to forest fires. "Something has happened to the plumbing of the world.... We submit the science is in, and observed evidence is self evident that climate change is real... Please respect the difference of opinion out here as it relates to this fundamental issue of climate change."
The president replied, "Absolutely."
Later, Trump brushed off concerns about climate change voiced by California Natural Resources Secretary
"I wish science agreed with you," Crowfoot said.
"I don't think science knows," Trump responded.
Six other federal, state and local officials participated in the briefing and roundtable discussion, including Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator
Outside the tarmac gates, several hundred supporters of the president gathered, few wearing masks to protect against COVID-19. A smaller crowd of
At one point a car swerved toward pedestrians, injuring one of them, who was taken away in an ambulance. An accelerating CHP car also injured at least one demonstrator.
Biden weighed in from
"
The president also used his visit to recognize seven members of the
"They flew into blazing flames, raging wind... to rescue families at the
On Friday, Trump tweeted thanks to the more than 28,000 firefighters and first responders battling the blazes. But off Twitter, Trump had done little to publicly address the western fires that have burned millions of acres in
Since mid-August, thousands of fires have raged across
Most of the fires were sparked by lightning, perpetuated by triple-digit heatwaves and spread by wind through the state's parched forests, vulnerable and full of tinder after years of drought.
Before COVID-19, Newsom and Trump frequently attacked one another over issues ranging from homelessness to water policy. The pandemic forced the two men to work more closely together, bringing a sort of truce. They even complimented each other.
Cracks in the relationship showed last month when Newsom criticized Trump's climate policies during a video shown during the
Trump in turn has blamed
But despite the public bickering, Newsom says he and Trump work well together in emergencies and that the president has never failed to send
Staff writer
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