As (bad) luck would have it, both President Joe Biden and Governor Gavin Newsom were in Los Angeles this week, arriving just in time for some of the worst wildfires ever to hit Southern California. Seeing the trail of death and destruction, Newsom did what any governor would do: He requested federal disaster aid. And Biden, seeing the same, did what most presidents would do: He quickly approved it.

“No politics. No hand-wringing. No kissing of the feet,” Newsom told reporters as a gigantic plume of black smoke billowed above his head and over the Pacific Ocean. “The president of the United States said, ‘Yes. What else do you need?’”

Newsom should be able to expect the same from the next president of the United States, Donald Trump. But he can’t. And that should matter to not only Californians, but all Americans who, thanks to climate change, are experiencing more weather-related disasters than ever and going broke trying to rebuild their lives and businesses.

In the first 10 months of 2024 alone, the US recorded 24 disasters with losses topping $1 billion. They hit red states and blue states alike; wildfires, hurricanes, floods and........

© Bloomberg