"There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor. Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!"
— Donald Trump, tweet, November 10, 2018, while Paradise, California was still burning and 85 people were dyingThe problems with Trump's "rake the forest" prescription were specific and documented by scientists. First, the majority of California's forests are on federal land managed by the US Forest Service — which is a federal agency, not the state. Blaming California's state government for mismanaging forests that are largely federal was factually backwards. Second, the wildfires are driven by climate change — longer droughts, higher temperatures, lower humidity — in addition to forest management. Even optimal management would not prevent wildfires under changing climate conditions. Third, Finland — which Trump cited as a country that prevented wildfires through raking — has a very different climate, forest type, and geography than California. Finnish President Sauli Niinistö had to issue a public statement saying he had never discussed raking forests with Trump.
Trump eventually visited California, where he stood in the rubble of Paradise and called the town "Pleasure" — mangling the name of the destroyed community in front of surviving residents and local officials. He suggested that cleaning the floors of forests, like cleaning the floors of a house, would prevent fires. Firefighters and forestry experts responded with frustration. The federal government did ultimately provide disaster relief for the Camp Fire — after Trump's initial threats generated nationwide backlash. In 2025, the Los Angeles area wildfires — even more destructive, burning in urban-adjacent areas during record heat and Santa Ana winds — prompted Trump to again blame California and threaten aid withholding before the fires were even fully contained.
This post distinguishes between documented facts, allegations, and analysis. Where motive, intent, corruption, or illegality remains disputed in the public record, the text attributes that judgment to court findings, official records, direct quotes, or the reporting linked below.
- Trump tweet — November 10, 2018; "gross mismanagement of the forests"; archived at factba.se.
- Camp Fire statistics — 85 deaths, Paradise destroyed; Cal Fire official statistics.
- Finland president statement — November 18, 2018; Sauli Niinistö said he had discussed forest management with Trump but not raking; Finnish media.
- Federal vs state forest ownership — USDA Forest Service; roughly 57% of California forests are federal.
- Trump called Paradise "Pleasure" — documented by pool reporters, November 2018.