New York City's comptroller, Brad Lander blamed the bushfire at New York's Prospect Park since Friday on the climate policies of Donald Trump and his supporters. He caused a controversy by suggesting that the far-right groups are "burning down the things we love," implicating the newly elected president for the unprecedented bush fire in NYC.
“Let’s be clear: These brush fires are because of drought accelerated by climate change,” Lander wrote on Facebook. “When Trump/MAGA roll back climate action, they are burning down the things we love. We’ll need to fight fiercely & work more creatively than ever to protect them.”
Who Is Brad Lander?
Often accused of pandering to the far-left, Brad Lander is an urban planner who ventured into politics and has been serving as New York City's comptroller since January 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Lander has often rattled his own party men with his stances, which include calling for a $1 billion cut for the New York Police Department (NYPD).
“I’m sharing here the response I’m sending to those who reached out, with my commitment to fight for a $1 billion cut to the NYPD this year, and to vote no on a budget that does not make significant cuts to the NYPD,” Lander had said in a statement to Politico.
He rose to prominence a year after President Barack Obama's election to the White House, after getting elected to the City Council. He was elected New York's City Comptroller in 2021 and assumed office on the first day of 2022. He has been described as one of New York's most left-leaning politicians by Politico. He is reportedly running a campaign for the post of New York's mayor.
Also read: NYC Air Quality: Alert, Health Advisory Issued As AQI Falls To Orange Level Amid Wildfires
His recent remark about Trump being responsible for the bush fire at Prospect Park did not sit well even with some fellow New York City Democrat. Robert Holden, a Democrat Councilman from Queens, called him the "child for political irrelevance."
“Brad Pander, the poster child for political irrelevance, outdoes himself yet again with another pitiful display—shameless as ever, because shame requires self-awareness,” Holden said.
“When his doomed mayoral bid crashes and burns, he’ll no doubt point fingers at Trump before crawling back into the obscurity he never should have left,” he added.