Firefighters Have Mixed Opinions On Trump Visit To Fire-Ravaged California
CHICO (AP) — Firefighters in Northern California have mixed thoughts on President Donald Trump's comments that blamed raging wildfires on poor forest management but say their main focus is fighting the blaze.
As firefighters returned to a command center in the Northern California city of Chico on Friday after 24-hour shifts, some learned for the first time that Trump was scheduled to visit Saturday.
Firefighter Joshua Watson said he viewed the upcoming visit as a sign of support for firefighters, "no matter what you think about him."
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Gary Jacobs, a firefighter sent from San Mateo county, said everybody has their own opinions and he stays out of politics.
Trump initially responded to the fires by blaming them on "gross mismanagement" of forests in a tweet on Saturday. He then reiterated the criticism in an interview with Fox News, saying, "The big problem we have is management." Excerpts of that interview were released Friday.
Michael Baldwin, a CalFire captain from Mendocino County, said Trump's comments that blamed poor forest management for the blaze was "ill-informed" and came at the wrong time.
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