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VOA - World News

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger in the November national election, former Vice President Joe Biden, focused Monday on the historic destructive wildfires on the West Coast. 

Trump, who has stayed mostly silent about the widespread devastation in the three solidly Democratic states — California, Oregon and Washington — is visiting California for a briefing on the wildfires from Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, a vocal critic of the president. 

FILE - President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at MBS International Airport, Sept. 10, 2020, in Freeland, Mich.

Trump is also visiting McClellan Park near the state capital of Sacramento for more discussions with local and federal officials about the blazes that have killed at least 35 people and destroyed more than a million hectares of land. 

The skeletal silouhette of burnt trees are seen after a wildfire swept through an R.V. park destroying multiple homes in Estacada, Oregon, Sept. 12, 2020.

Trump, who has often questioned the science of climate change, has blamed poor forest management for the spread of the fires and their intensity. His visit to hard-hit California, which polls show sharply opposes his reelection, will give him an opportunity to offer sympathy for the victims of the fires and emphasize the federal firefighting assistance he has approved. 

Meanwhile, Biden is remaining in his home state of Delaware, as he has for much of the campaign, to avoid large crowds and prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Trump continues his campaign rallies in front of thousands of sign-waving supporters, few of whom wear face masks.  

FILE - Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden places a note card in his jacket pocket as he speaks at a campaign event in Warren, Mich., Sept. 9, 2020.

Biden is set to deliver an address accusing Trump of not providing enough federal assistance to fight the fires and ignoring the increase in global temperatures that scientists say has helped fuel the fires. 

“He will discuss how extreme weather events are both caused by & underscore the urgent need to tackle the climate crisis,” spokesman Matt Hill said on Twitter. 

Biden has made combating climate change a centerpiece of his campaign, while Trump early in his presidency withdrew the U.S. from the international Paris climate change pact.  

Wildfires in Western United States

Over the weekend, Biden said the West Coast wildfires may be the start of an “unending barrage of tragedies” if countries across the globe do not curb climate-warming emissions. His campaign platform calls for eliminating carbon pollution from power sources over the next 15 years. 

“The science is clear, and deadly signs like these are unmistakable — climate change poses an imminent, existential threat to our way of life,” Biden said. “President Trump can try to deny that reality, but the facts are undeniable.” 

Last Friday, Trump thanked firefighters and other first responders for their efforts in trying to contain the blazes. 

While he has often criticized Newsom by name and assailed what he contends is California’s poor forest management, most of the state’s forests are managed by the federal government.  

A search and rescue team, surrounded by red fire retardant, is seen near burned residences and vehicles in the aftermath of the Almeda fire in Talent, Oregon, Sept. 13, 2020.

White House spokesman Judd Deere said Trump has dispatched more than 26,000 federal personnel and 230 helicopters to fight the fires and has spoken by phone with Newsom for updates since mid-August.  

Smoke and flames have combined to envelop the cities of San Francisco, Seattle and Portland with some of the worst air quality in the world.  

The massive clouds of smoke blanketing the region have endangered the health of millions of residents.  

Couples watch downtown from Angels Point at sunset in a smoke haze generated by the Bobcat fire in Los Angeles, California, Sept. 11, 2020.

Air quality across the Pacific Northwest state of Oregon was characterized by state environmental officials as “hazardous” or “very unhealthy.” 

Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes. 

Visibility was less than a half kilometer in some places, according to the National Weather Service, making it dangerous to drive.