President Donald Trump's threat to withhold federal assistance from California to recover from its series of devastating wildfires in recent weeks is "disturbing" and there is no excuse for his behavior, Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg said Monday.
"The really disturbing thing about the president threatening to withhold disaster assistance, he is behaving like he is only the president for some Americans," Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., told MSNBC's "Morning Joe."
"You are responsible for the safety of every American, especially when recovering from a disaster."
In a series of tweets Sunday, Trump slammed California Gov. Gavin Newsom over his handling of the fires, saying he has done a "terrible job of forest management and telling him his state will no longer get money from the federal government. He also warned the governor to "get your act together."
Buttigieg, meanwhile, said he believes Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement should be seen as a "floor, not a ceiling" and he sees opportunity in it.
"Climate is the top example of a major issue that the U.S. can't solve alone because most of the emissions are coming from around the world," he said.
Also on Monday, Buttigieg, 37, dismissed criticism about his age being a factor in the presidential campaign.
"Experience matters and deserves to be respected," said Buttigieg. "So does judgment and vision, and I'm offering a different vision and a different approach."
Further, he said he doesn't think Trump is a "blip or aberration."
"While it is certainly true that wisdom can come with age, it is not true that they are the same," he said. "Look at the current White House. We have the oldest president and by no means the wisest."
He added that there is "no question" Trump must be impeached and removed from office.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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