Trump on California Fires: 'Clean Your Floors'
A plume of smoke rises from the Ranch 2 Fire on August 15, 2020 as seen from Azusa, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
By Jason Devaney | Friday, 21 August 2020
By Jason Devaney | Friday, 21 August 2020
President Donald Trump said California needs to "clean your floors" to help prevent wildfires, hundreds of which are burning across the Golden State.
During a campaign rally in Pennsylvania Thursday night, Trump brought up the fires, which have largely been sparked by lightning strikes.
"I see again the forest fires are starting. They're starting again in California," Trump said, according to Politico. "I said, you gotta clean your floors, you gotta clean your forests — there are many, many years of leaves and broken trees and they're like, like, so flammable, you touch them and it goes up."
He then issued a threat to hold back federal money that could be used to clean up dead trees and other flammable matter.
"Maybe we're just going to have to make them pay for it because they don't listen to us," he said.
"I've been telling them this now for three years, but they don't want to listen. 'The environment, the environment,' but they have massive fires again."
Historically, parts of California burn around this time of year because of the dry climate there. In recent years, however, some of the largest wildfires ever recorded in the Golden State have scorched large swaths of forest and even residential areas.
During a campaign rally in Pennsylvania Thursday night, Trump brought up the fires, which have largely been sparked by lightning strikes.
"I see again the forest fires are starting. They're starting again in California," Trump said, according to Politico. "I said, you gotta clean your floors, you gotta clean your forests — there are many, many years of leaves and broken trees and they're like, like, so flammable, you touch them and it goes up."
He then issued a threat to hold back federal money that could be used to clean up dead trees and other flammable matter.
"Maybe we're just going to have to make them pay for it because they don't listen to us," he said.
"I've been telling them this now for three years, but they don't want to listen. 'The environment, the environment,' but they have massive fires again."
Historically, parts of California burn around this time of year because of the dry climate there. In recent years, however, some of the largest wildfires ever recorded in the Golden State have scorched large swaths of forest and even residential areas.