Biden heads to western U.S. to tout climate goals, back California governor

President Joe Biden heads west on Monday for a three-state tour aimed at highlighting his push to fight climate change and strengthen infrastructure, while helping fellow Democrat Gavin Newsom try to hold on to California’s governorship.

Fresh off travel last week to view flood damage from Hurricane Ida in New York and New Jersey, Biden will visit the National Interagency Fire Center on a stop in Boise, Idaho, before flying to Sacramento, California, to see wildfire damage in the area.

Biden has used the storms and fires across the country recently to highlight his call to fight global warming, calling climate change an existential threat last week.

“It’s not going to get any better,” he said. “We can stop it from getting worse.”

White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday one in three Americans is affected by the increasing frequency of extreme weather events and Biden’s message on his first trip to the U.S. West Coast as president will be the “climate crisis is in code red.”

via Reuters