Trump saw an entire town destroyed by wildfire. It didn't change his mind on climate change.
President Trump flew to California on Saturday to survey and discuss the massive fires still raging throughout the state. But one very, very important topic didn't come up.
While flying back to Washington Saturday night, Trump told reporters he and Governor-elect Gavin Newsom (D) didn't talk about climate change — a factor that's likely made the deadly fires far worse than expected. "We have different views but maybe not as different as people think," Trump said of his visit with Newsom, presumably because the two didn't discuss a reality that Trump doesn't quite believe in.
California is at highest risk of wildfires during the summer. But this year's fire season started earlier than usual, per The Sacramento Bee, and the worst of it came after the season typically ends with November's Camp and Woolsey fires. The Camp Fire has left 71 dead and burned 148,000 acres as of Saturday morning, per the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The Woolsey Fire is now 82 percent contained, but still left 3 dead and 98,362 acres ravaged, Cal Fire reports. And California's increasingly dry climate, made even worse by climate change, is likely to blame.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump conceded in a Friday interview with Fox News' Chris Wallace that climate change "contributes maybe a little bit" to harsher wildfires, but went on to say "management" and a lack of raking dry leaves were mostly to blame. After visiting an entire town destroyed by the Camp Fire on Saturday, Trump told reporters nothing changed his mind.
Watch that moment below. Kathryn Krawczyk
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
5 sunny-side up cartoons about egg prices
Cartoons Artists take on inflated prices, double standards, and more
By The Week US Published
-
'Swimming in the sky' in northern Brazil
The Week Recommends The pools of Lençóis Maranhenses are clear and blue
By The Week UK Published
-
An ailing Pope Francis – and the vultures circling in the Vatican
Talking Point Caught between his progressive inner circle and an influx of conservatism, the Holy Father should 'brace' himself for a battle
By The Week UK Published
-
Rain helps Los Angeles wildfires, risks mudslides
Speed Read The weather provided relief for crews working to contain wildfires, though rain over a burn area ups the chances of flooding and mudslides
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Death toll rises in LA fires as wind lull allows progress
Speed Read At least 24 people have died and 100,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden cancels Italy trip as raging LA fires spread
Speed Read The majority of the fires remain 0% contained
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Fast-spreading Los Angeles wildfires spark panic
Speed Read About 30,000 people were under an evacuation order as the inferno spread
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Hundreds feared dead in French Mayotte cyclone
Speed Read Cyclone Chido slammed into Mayotte, a French territory in the Indian Ocean
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Thirteen missing after Red Sea tourist boat sinks
Speed Read The vessel sank near the Egyptian coastal town of Marsa Alam
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Global plastics summit starts as COP29 ends
Speed Read Negotiators gathering in South Korea seek an end to the world's plastic pollution crisis, though Trump's election may muddle the deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden visits Amazon, says climate legacy irreversible
Speed Read Nobody can reverse America's 'clean energy revolution,' said the president, despite the incoming Trump administration's promises to dismantle climate policies
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published