The White House has announced that President Trump will travel to California on Monday for a briefing with Governor Gavin Newsom, Politico reported.
Trump has been criticized for his lack of attention to the wildfires in the western states. California has been devastated by the largest fires in the state’s history, but other than signing an emergency declaration about a month ago, Trump has done little to recognize the losses until he tweeted a thank you to firefighters yesterday.
The White House has defended Trump’s lack of concern for the people impacted by the fires, saying that Trump has ordered personnel and aid from federal agencies whose duty it is to provide emergency aid.
Trump’s previous trip to California, during the 2018 fires, resulted in an infamous moment when Trump said California should be “raking and cleaning” the “floors of forests,” saying that Finland doesn’t have forest fires because they rake the forest. The comment puzzled those in Finland.
It is unclear if Trump will bring rakes on his visit.