Calif. governor hits back at Trump over wildfire criticism, threat to cut aid [View all]

[Eugene]

Source: Washington Post

Calif. governor hits back at Trump over wildfire criticism, threat to cut aid

By Kim Bellware
11/3/2019, 3:51:39 p.m.

President Trump on Sunday criticized California’s Democratic governor for his handling of wildfires and made a vague threat to cut aid as blazes continue to burn in the northern and southern parts of the state. The comments are the latest installment of the president’s long-standing grievance with California, a state that has clashed with Trump’s administration, particularly on issues of environmental regulation.

In Trump’s first significant mention of California’s wildfires on Twitter since the massive Kincade Fire broke out in late October, the president accused Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of doing a “terrible” job of forest management.

Newsom later responded with his own tweet: “You don’t believe in climate change. You are excused from this conversation.” The governor’s criticism was a jab at Trump’s long-standing refusal to acknowledge the impact of climate change or the man-made factors that accelerate it.

As he has before, Trump made several erroneous claims about the causes of and potential solutions for the wildfires while writing that he had told Newsom previously to “clean” the forest floors.

Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump

The Governor of California, @GavinNewsom, has done a terrible job of forest management. I told him from the first day we met that he must “clean” his forest floors regardless of what his bosses, the environmentalists, DEMAND of him. Must also do burns and cut fire stoppers....

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/11/03/california-burns-trump-slams-gov-newsom-over-wildfire-response/