Trump touches down in California to ‘be with the firefighters’ after once AGAIN provoking ire by blaming forest management for the state’s worst ever wildfires, as more than one thousand people are feared missing and death toll hits 74
At least 74 people have died in the California wildfires – 13 of whom are yet to be identified
A further 1,011 people are still missing in and around Paradise in Northern California
Recovery teams with cadaver dogs carried away deceased victims in body bags on Friday
Trump said some bodies were ‘burned beyond recognition’ ahead of his Saturday visit to Paradise
President will make two stops in California and meet with the governor and first responders
He may not receive a warm welcome after he angered Californians by blaming fire on forest mismanagement
He landed at the Beale Air Force base in Yuba County at 1pm EST (10am PST) but says he’ll return to the White House around four in the morning
Sheriff published list of missing online saying it ‘could contain duplicate names and unreliable spellings’
The number of names on the missing list swelled by more than 400 since Thursday night
By MARLENE LENTHANG and RUTH STYLES
DAILYMAIL.COM
17 November 2018
Donald Trump is stirring up controversy as he blames the deadly California wildfires that have killed 74 on poor forest management yet again, re-igniting fury among West Coast residents and firefighters just hours before he’s set to touch down in the state.
The president spoke to press first thing in the morning from the South Lawn before taking off for Northern California where he’ll be making two stops and will speak with first responders, FEMA representatives, California governor Jerry Brown and governor elect Gavin Newsom.
‘It seems many more people are missing than anyone thought even possible. And I want to be with the firefighters and the FEMA and first responders,’ Trump said prior to takeoff. He touched down at the Beale Air Force base in Yuba County, near where the wildfires razed through at 1pm Eastern time (10am Pacific time). Trump said he’ll likely return to the White House around 4am Eastern time.
‘We have a lot of things to talk about. We will be talking about forest management. I’ve been saying that for a long time. This could have been a lot different situation… Very expensive issue but very inexpensive when you compare it to even one of these horrible fires and will save lots of lives in addition to a lot of money,’ he said.
However, he commended the team of more than 9,000 ‘unbelievably brave’ firefighters on the scene.
Trump has been heavily criticized for blaming the fires on the ‘gross mismanagement’ of forests before sharing condolences for wildfire victims. He even threatened to cut off unspecified federal aid to California if they don’t take action.
The Rest…HERE
