Published 13:21 IST, September 16th 2020
'Trees just explode': Trump makes unscientific claim after blaming Democrats for wildfires
Holding the local authorities responsible for one of the deadliest wildfires in the US, Trump reportedly said that state leaders had to "do cuts" in between.
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On September 14, US President Donald Trump rejected science and blamed Forest Management officials, Democratic state leaders, and Biden for the deadly California wildfires, saying, the dry trees “just explode” because they’re combustible and they (officials) should be ready. While the flames continue to rage across the West Coast, from California up through Oregon and Washington state, that charred homes and displaced thousands, Trump launched an attack on state and local officials in the region, criticizing them for “not cutting trees”. Speaking with the local US broadcasters, the United States President said, as one European leader put it, when trees fall down, after 18 months they become dry, like a match stick, “they just explode, they can explode,” Trump said, addressing the press in Sacramento at a briefing on wildfires, that he attended with two of C-130s Coast Guard aircraft.
Holding the local authorities responsible for one of the deadliest wildfires in the US, Trump reportedly said that the state leaders had to do something about it, adding, they have to "do cuts" in between. In response to Trump’s analogy, California Governor Gavin Newsom said at a separate press briefing that the wildfires spread into his state from the northern border with Oregon to its southern one with Mexico. He reminded Trump that the overwhelming majority of forest land was, in fact, under the Trump administration. He responded, saying, that at least 24 have succumbed to the fire in his state from wildfires caused by the states "under the purview" of the federal government. Therefore, Trump’s verbal attack on the forest officials and his state of “doing too little” was baseless, Newsom clarified. Further, he reminded Trump that Climate change is a “real issue”, once again igniting the climate crisis debate.
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Biden lashes out at Trump's analogy
In the back and forth with Newsom, Trump said in a press address later, that about the climate crisis theory of Newsom, he “wasn’t sure if science knows actually", adding, the sultry temperatures due to at least 1,100 fires will eventually “get cooler.” To this, California state's Natural Resources secretary, Wade Crowfoot responded in a separate NPR agency report, saying, that while the state agreed that the forest management could be made better, Trump was ignoring a key part of the story, “climate change” and vegetation management and sweeping leaves on forest grounds wasn’t the answer. Separately, Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden criticized Trump’s comments addressing the US press, saying, if the Americans give a “climate arsonist” four more years in the White House, they shouldn’t be surprised if there was more of America “ablaze” and “underwater”.
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13:22 IST, September 16th 2020