The devastating wildfires raging through Los Angeles County have laid bare chronic failures in disaster preparedness and environmental policy at both the state and local levels. Critics have cited L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom for their poor handling of the crisis. The scrutiny of Newsom and Bass, both of whom have faced repeated criticism for California’s poor track record on wildfire management, has only intensified.
Over the past week, we’ve been reporting on the systemic issues that have compounded the crisis, everything from the Los Angeles Fire Department’s wasting millions on DEI programs to state environmental policies to budget cuts at the state and local level. Even LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley admitted that the agency was ill-equipped to manage the disaster, underscoring failures by local officials to prioritize adequate funding and preparation.
Sadly, Democrats and the media are turning a blind eye to the problems and are blaming climate change as the primary culprit. However, a new twist in the narrative has emerged: blaming President-elect Donald Trump.
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) has gone so far as to claim that Trump’s alleged allegiance to “Big Oil” has exacerbated the wildfire crisis.
Trump has been bought for $1 billion by Big Oil. Just a payoff to kill the IRA and the Green New Deal. We know what will happen. More fires, more climate disasters, more death. The LA fires are preview of coming atrocities.
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) January 11, 2025
Los Angeles is on fire. Donald Trump says drill baby drill and stop wind and solar. He will add fuel to the fire.
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) January 10, 2025
Of course, not one to let a crisis go to waste, Markey used the opportunity to push for the Green New Deal — which he cosponsored with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), claiming that the rejection of such policies is costing lives and communities.
Republicans say that we can’t afford a Green New Deal. What we really can’t afford is to sacrifice our lives, homes, and communities in fires fueled by the climate crisis. We need a system change, not climate change. https://t.co/i3JEN41ibb
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) January 10, 2025
Based on recent reports, the wildfires have claimed at least 16 lives and destroyed thousands of homes.
Imagine blaming Trump for California’s wildfires when he’s been the one urging the state to do more to prevent them. For years, Trump has called out California’s mismanagement of flammable brush and its water supply, pointing to these as key factors in the wildfire crisis. In 2020, Trump blamed California’s leadership for its wildfire problems, highlighting the lack of proper forest management and the state’s failure to effectively store and manage water. The Biden administration canceled planned controlled burns back in October.
Related: The Los Angeles Wildfires Prove That Democrats Should Listen to Trump
Critics scoffed at his push for cleaning up the state’s forests by removing dry leaves, fallen trees, and other fuel for fires, accusing him of misunderstanding wildfire science. Yet as the state continues to face devastating wildfires, those criticisms seem increasingly out of touch with the harsh reality Californians are facing. And now we have Democrats blaming Trump for the disaster because they're trying to distract from the fact the wildfires exposed Democrat incompetence at every level.
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