On Friday, President Donald Trump toured disaster-stricken western North Carolina and Los Angeles as he resumed the presidency earlier this week. It is his first official visit amid widespread recovery efforts following hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural disasters. However, it has already aroused political tensions over federal aid and climate policy.
In North Carolina, Trump criticized the Biden administration’s handling of Hurricane Helene’s aftermath, accusing it of neglecting the region. “It’s been a horrible thing the way this has been allowed to fester. We’re going to fix it,” Trump told reporters before departing the White House. The Biden administration, however, dismissed his claims as misinformation.
Trump’s stop in Los Angeles has further inflamed partisan divisions. The latest instance is when California is at war with three major wildfires that have killed 28 people and almost 16,000 structures since January 7. Trump accused Democratic leaders, including Governor Gavin Newsom, of a grave mismanagement of resources. Trump repeated an unfounded claim while speaking with Fox News in an interview: California officials have focused on saving the endangered fish rather than using water to put out fires. Newsom denied the allegations and said there is no relationship between wildlife conservation efforts and responding to wildfires. The tensions notwithstanding, Newsom says he will welcome Trump on arrival. “I look forward to being there on the tarmac to thank the president and welcome him,” the governor said on Thursday.
The red-flag warning for extreme fire risks due to strong winds and dry conditions continues to affect Southern California. Scientists have said that the warming climate of the Earth is intensifying natural disasters like wildfires and hurricanes.
Since his comeback to the presidency, Trump has reignited controversy over climate policies, withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and rolling back green-energy initiatives initiated under the Biden administration. Such measures have drawn criticism from those actually working towards saving the planet-the environmental lobby-for saying that such measures are key to curing the root causes of worsening disasters.