Trump Blames Deadly California Wildfires On 'Gross Mismanagement' Of Forests
President Donald Trump said “gross mismanagement of the forests” is to blame for the fast-moving wildfires that have torn through parts of California and killed at least nine people.
In a tweet from Paris early Saturday, Trump said, “There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor.”
Trump also threatened: “Remedy now, or no more Fed payments.”
There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor. Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 10, 2018
He offered no condolences to those killed in the blazes and did not explain how he believed the forests were being mismanaged by state authorities. It’s also unclear exactly what federal funding he was threatening to pull.
Almost 250,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes as the Camp Fire struck areas north of Sacramento, the Hill Fire spread near Thousand Oaks and the Woolsey Fire burned near the Los Angeles-Ventura County line.
The fires are being “fueled by dry conditions and extreme winds,” The Los Angeles Times reported. California Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom (D) requested federal assistance for tackling the fires on Friday, which Trump later approved.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
