On Monday, as Joe Biden called Donald Trump “a climate arsonist,” the president met with California Governor Gavin Newsom, who took an agree-to-disagree approach while calling out the president on climate change.
Later, Trump meet with scientists, state officials and politicians to discuss further the massive wildfires scorching the state.
Wade Crowfoot, California’s Secretary for Natural Resources, gave the president a blunt assessment his wildfire performance. “If we ignore that science and sort of put our head in the sand and think it’s all about vegetation management,” said Crowfoot, “we’re not going to succeed together protecting Californians.”
Trump, seemingly self-assured but offering no evidence said, “It’ll start getting cooler. You just watch.”
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“I wish science agreed with you,” said Mr. Crowfoot.
“Well, I don’t think science knows, actually,” shot back Trump.
Later in the day, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, asked on MSNBC about the president’s climate assessment said, “When it comes to coronavirus, I listen to doctors. When it comes to climate change, I listen to scientists. When it comes to Donald Trump, I just don’t listen to him much at all.”
Garcetti, who in addition to being the mayor of America’s second-largest city is also national co-chair for Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, later told Anderson Cooper on CNN:
I think the first responsibility of an elected official or public servant is to safeguard lives, and if you can’t step up for that, you’re not ready for this job. You’re not well suited for this job. You know, it’s almost like there’s two Americas right now — one in which people bury their heads, ignore the science, don’t tell the truth and say, ‘Everything’s gonna be OK,’ whether it’s fires or COVID; another in which people are struggling to pay their bills, are fighting fires right around their homes, are trying to heal their sick relatives. And unfortunately, the first one is the fantasy of Donald Trump, the second is reality of life with Donald Trump.
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