Trump Laughed Off Climate Change When Asked About California WildfiresFox News/PA Images
President Donald Trump flatly dismissed climate change during a briefing in California about the wildfires currently tearing through the region.
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Ongoing wildfires have destroyed more than 3.2 million acres of land in California since the start of 2020, with strong winds and the high temperatures of summer only worsening the blazes.
Trump long remained silent about the wildfires, but he finally commented on the issue on Friday, September 11, to thank the firefighters and first responders who are risking their lives to tackle the blazes.
Hear what he had to say about the cause of the fires below:
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Trump has been more vocal about the fires over the last few days, addressing them again at a rally in Minden, Nevada, on Saturday, but he apparently refuses to believe that climate change is responsible for the unprecedented situation.
Trump appeared at McClellan Park in California on Monday for a briefing with local and federal fire and emergency officials, but when the topic of climate change came up the president was quick to dismiss it outright.
Wade Crowfoot, California Secretary for Natural Resources, told Trump officials wanted to work with him to ‘really recognise the changing climate’.
Grinning, the president responded:
It’ll start getting cooler. You just watch.
Sure, Trump might see the country get a few degrees colder as we head into winter, but the same cannot be said for the more pressing average global temperature. Last week, Los Angeles County recorded its highest-ever temperature of 121°F (49°C) in Woodland Hills.
Crowfoot hit back at Trump’s claims, saying: ‘I wish science agreed with you’, but the president refused to be proven wrong and boldly replied: ‘Well, I don’t think science knows actually.’
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Of course, there is a wealth of data to indicate that the global temperature is increasing, and that a continually warming Earth will have countless drastic consequences, but evidently Trump is choosing to overlook those findings.
Gender Reveal Party Blamed For Starting Huge Californian WildfirePA Images
At the briefing, California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, asked the president to ‘please respect’ many Californians’ and Democrats’ views that there is a climate crisis.
He commented:
We come from a perspective, humbly, where we submit the science is in and observed evidence is self-evident, that climate change is real.
Trump chose not to engage with Newsom’s request.
The president has previously blamed the California wildfires on ‘forest management’; a claim which has been criticised as inaccurate, CNN reports.
Donald TrumpPA Images
Addressing the crowd at his Nevada rally, he commented:
It is about forest management, please remember the words, very simply, forest management, please remember, about forest management, and other things.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti hit back at Trump’s assertion that the fires were due to poor land management, saying: ‘Denial doesn’t work when it comes to climate. The cost of denial is that people lose their lives and their livelihoods.’
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On Monday, September 14, CalFire said nearly 16,500 firefighters have been battling 28 major wildfires which have killed 24 people and destroyed more than 4,200 structures in the state.
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