Standing In Scorched CA, Trump Lauds Finland’s ‘Raking And Cleaning’ Policy

US President Donald Trump (C) looks on with Governor of California Jerry Brown (R) and Lieutenant Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, as they view damage from wildfires in Paradise, California on November 17, 2018.... US President Donald Trump (C) looks on with Governor of California Jerry Brown (R) and Lieutenant Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, as they view damage from wildfires in Paradise, California on November 17, 2018. - President Donald Trump arrived in California to meet with officials, victims and the "unbelievably brave" firefighters there, as more than 1,000 people remain listed as missing in the worst-ever wildfire to hit the US state. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Standing in the charred husk of Paradise, California on Saturday, surveying damage from the historic “Camp Fire,” President Donald Trump added insult to injury yet again by indirectly finding fault with California’s forest management.

“You’ve gotta take care of the floors, you know, the floors of the forest, very important,” Trump said, flanked by the current and future governors of California. “You look at other countries where they do it differently and it’s a whole different story.”

He added: “I was with the President of Finland and he called it a forest nation, and they spend a lot of time on raking and cleaning and doing things and they don’t have any problem, and when it is, it’s a very small problem.”

Dozens of people have died as a result of the Camp Fire and more than 1,000 are missing or unaccounted for. Scientists disagree that poor forest management is primarily to blame for the fire’s immense cost in human life and property, as opposed to a combination of factors including climate change and an uptick in population density near fire-prone areas.

The federal government, for what it’s worth, manages much more of California’s land than the state itself; according to the Redding Record Searchlight, the Camp Fire “started either on or very close to the national forest before spreading to private property to the west.”

According to a pool report Saturday, Trump said “no,” when asked if the extensive fire damage in the state had changed his mind about global warming.

It’s not the first time the President has criticized California as the deadliest fire in its history rages on.

On Saturday morning, before flying out to California, Trump faulted the state yet again, saying: “We will be talking about forest management. I’ve been saying that for a long time. It should have been a lot different situation.”

And in an interview taped Friday to be aired on Fox News Sunday, Trump claimed that “you wouldn’t have the fire” if the work of raking certain dry vegetation had been done ahead of time.

Latest News
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: