Trump threatens to cut federal aid for California wildfires, calls Gov. Gavin Newsom ‘child’

Nov. 4--President Trump fired off a new threat to cut federal funding to California after a series of destructive wildfires ravaged the state in recent weeks.

In a new tweetstorm and comments to reporters Sunday, Trump blasted California Gov. Gavin Newsom as a "child" who's doing a "terrible job of forest management."

"Every year, as the fire's rage & California burns, it is the same thing-and then he comes to the Federal Government for $$$ help. No more. Get your act together Governor," Trump tweeted Sunday.

"You've got fires eating away at California every year because management is so bad. The governor doesn't know, he's like a child, he doesn't know what he's doing," he told reporters later the same day.

"You don't believe in climate change. You are excused from this conversation." Newsom said in a curt reply tweet Sunday.

"We're successfully waging war against thousands of fires started across the state in the last few weeks due to extreme weather created by climate change while Trump is conducting a full on assault against the antidotes," Newsom said in a follow-up statement.

The president made a similar threat last year just two days after the deadly Camp Fire burned the entire city of Paradise to the ground and claimed 85 lives.

"There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor. Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!" Trump tweeted on Nov. 10, 2018.

The threat led to a strong rebuke by professional firefighters.

The International Association of Fire Fighters called Trump's claims "irresponsible, reckless and insulting" in a statement.

The president of California Professional Firefighters, meanwhile, said Trump's threat was "dead wrong" and "demeaning to those who are suffering as well as the men and women on the front lines."

"Nearly 60 percent of California forests are under federal management, and another one-third under private control. It is the federal government that has chosen to divert resources away from forest management, not California," CPF President Brian K. Rice said.

So far this year, wildfires have burned more than 198,000 acres in California, mostly dry grassland and chaparral, not forests.

The massive Kincade Fire in Sonoma County that erupted Oct. 23 and scorched 77,758 acres was 80% contained as of Monday, Cal Fire officials said.

The Maria Fire that touched off Halloween night and threatened citrus and avocado orchards hundreds of miles south in Ventura County was also 80% contained Monday after burning 9,412 acres, officials said.

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