Trump Blames California Fires on Unclean Forest Floors, Governor Fires Back

President Donald Trump threatened to withhold aid — one of his favored tactics — from California, claiming Governor Gavin Newsom “has done a terrible job of forest management” and has not listened to Trump’s demand that he “clean” the forest floors, a bizarre suggestion he first made in 2018 alleging that Finland prevents forest fires by raking the forest and cleaning forest floors. It is, of course, a claim that is blatantly inaccurate.

The president continued, “Every year, as the fire’s [sic] 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. You don’t see close to the level of burn in other states.”

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…..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 3, 2019

….putting these massive, and many, fires out. Great firefighters! Also, open up the ridiculously closed water lanes coming down from the North. Don’t pour it out into the Pacific Ocean. Should be done immediately. California desperately needs water, and you can have it now!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 3, 2019

Newsom fired back a response on his own Twitter account, telling the president, “You don’t believe in climate change. You are excused from this conversation.” Trump has long denied climate change’s threat to our planet, which scientists have been warning us for some time will cause year-round wildfires in states like California.

You don’t believe in climate change. You are excused from this conversation. https://t.co/PSt8N39Er5

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) November 3, 2019

Another hole in Trump’s argument is that the federal government, not the state of California, is in charge of a large majority of the state’s forests — 57 percent of 33 million acres are federally-controlled.

This is not the first time Trump has threatened to deny federal aid to California. In January, the president claimed he told the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to withhold aid “unless they get their act together [in California], which is unlikely.” FEMA officials, however, told BuzzFeed News in February that they did not receive that order from Trump.