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Trump visits California to receive briefing on wildfires, speak at National Guard ceremony

President has largely been silent on fires in recent weeks
White House says Trump will visit California on Monday to receive briefing on wildfires
Posted at 6:07 AM, Sep 13, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-14 15:38:59-04

President Donald Trump visited California on Monday to receive an update on the dozens of wildfires that are currently raging across the Western United States.

During a visit to McClellan Park, California on Monday, Trump received a briefing from local officials on the status of the fires that have killed 33 people in three states dating back to mid-August.

The president then spoke at a ceremony recognizing the California National Guard, which has hundreds of members helping to battle the fires. At the event, he also awarded members with honors.

Watch the event below:

Trump has remained largely silent on the fires in the past few weeks. However, in recent days, he's taken to thanking firefighters in the region for their work in battling the flames.

Trump addressed the fires during a Saturday campaign rally in Reno, Nevada — a city under a dense smoke advisory due to the nearby blazes.

"My administration is closely coordinating with state and local leaders, and we want to thank the more than 200,000 people that are working on it and 28,000 firefighters and first responders who courageously and bravely are fighting out there," Trump said.

He added that California, Oregon and Washington had "never had anything like this," and stressed the need for better "forest management."