Stephen Colbert slams Donald Trump's tweet blaming wildfires on 'poor' forest management

"I'd hate to be choking with only Trump there to save me."
 By 
Rachel Thompson
 on 
Stephen Colbert slams Donald Trump's tweet blaming wildfires on 'poor' forest management
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The deadliest wildfire in California history has ravaged the town of Paradise, claiming the lives of at least 42 people.

Stephen Colbert talked about the President's response to these wildfires — and the contrast to that of most . "I'm gonna start out tonight by saying to the people of California, our thoughts are with you because the golden state is being ravaged by three deadly wildfires in Malibu and northern California," said Colbert. "There's been a tragic loss of life and an unprecedented loss of property."

"At a time like this, it's hard to know the right thing to say. But for the wrong thing to say, let's check the president's Twitter feed," he added.

Colbert cited Trump's tweet which blamed "poor" forest management and threatened to withdraw federal payments."

"I think that's called blaming the victim," said Colbert. "I'd hate to be choking with only Trump there to save me."

"'Are you choking? There's no reason for this massive loss of oxygen except your chewing management was so poor. Remedy now, or now Heimlich,'" Colbert added, impersonating Trump.

Rachel Thompson, sits wearing a dress with yellow florals and black background.
Rachel Thompson
Features Editor

Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.

A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.

Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.


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