New Climate Change Issue in US Presidential Election... Biden Calls Trump a Climate Arsonist

Trump Visits California, Blames Forest Management for Wildfire Causes
"Scientists Don't Know What's Happening" "If Left Alone, Temperatures Will Drop"
Focus on Climate Change Public Opinion Ahead of Presidential Election Endgame

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The large-scale wildfires in the western United States are emerging as an issue in the U.S. presidential election, which is just 50 days away. Although U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed claims that climate change is the cause of the wildfires, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and others are strongly bringing the western wildfires into the election campaign.

U.S. President Donald Trump is listening to a briefing by Governor Gavin Newsom during his visit to California, where a large-scale wildfire occurred on the 14th. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

This atmosphere intensified when President Trump visited California and engaged in a verbal dispute with Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom and others. On the 14th (local time), while visiting Sacramento, California, President Trump received a wildfire briefing from Governor Newsom and other officials. When urged to pay attention to climate change, he responded by saying the weather is "starting to get cooler" and told them to "just watch."

In response, Wade Crowfoot, California’s Secretary for Natural Resources, pointed out President Trump’s indifference to climate change. He said, "If you ignore science and think forest management is everything, you will not succeed in protecting California residents." This was a criticism of President Trump’s indifference to climate change, as the heat and lightning causing the wildfires stem from climate change. Governor Newsom supported Secretary Crowfoot, saying, "We stand by the science that climate change is real."

When Secretary Crowfoot said, "I wish science agreed with your opinion," President Trump retorted, "I don’t think scientists really know what’s going on."

The Washington Post, in an article titled "Destructive Large Wildfires Inject Climate Change into the Election Campaign," evaluated that "President Trump found another scapegoat to blame for the wildfires in California: forest management." The article pointed out that President Trump refuses to acknowledge the connection between the large wildfires causing significant damage in the western U.S. and climate change. President Trump criticized Governor Newsom, saying, "Europe has trees that burn more easily, but they have very strong management and no problems."

After the event, when asked by reporters about the role of climate change in the wildfires, President Trump said, "This is more about management," and mentioned that Europe has forest-rich 'forest countries' like Finland and Austria, but they do not have such problems. This remark by President Trump contrasts with his active response to hurricanes hitting southern regions such as Florida.

Because Florida is a battleground state that decisively influences the election outcome, while California is a Democratic stronghold, this interpretation is gaining traction. In California, rather than devising countermeasures, the focus was on emphasizing that the issue is the state government's responsibility.

The Democrats launched an offensive. Candidate Biden fiercely criticized President Trump as a "climate arsonist." Biden emphasized at the Delaware Museum of Natural History, "Trump’s denial of climate change may not have caused wildfires, floods, and hurricanes, but if he is re-elected, these hellish events will become more frequent, more severe, and more deadly."

The New York Times also reported the stark contrast between President Trump, who scorned climate change as a lie and rolled back environmental regulations, and Biden, who actively worked to curb greenhouse gases during his vice presidency. President Trump had instructed the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement during the Barack Obama administration.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.