Kamala Harris visited the site of the Palisades wildfires in California on Thursday, touring the damage and speaking to reporters about what she described as the growing impact of climate change.

Later that evening, she attended a Los Angeles Lakers game, marking a day of both official appearances and public engagements.

While addressing the media, Harris attempted to tie the wildfires to climate change, but her remarks raised more questions than answers.

Elon Musk Called This Financial News 'Terrifying'

“As we think about the future, we must, as a society, as a country, invest in adaptation and resilience, and we have to understand these extreme weather occurrences are extreme, but they are increasingly less rare,” Harris stated.

Kamala Harris statement on LA fires:

“As we think about the future, we must, as a society, as a country, invest in adaptation and resilience, and we have to understand these extreme weather occurrences are extreme, but they are increasingly less rare.” pic.twitter.com/Lknwuis8OG

— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) February 7, 2025

American Made Patriotic Apparel - Save 15% with Promo Code MERICA

The vice president’s phrasing quickly drew attention, as her wording left many unclear on the exact point she was trying to make.

Harris continued to emphasize climate change as a factor, telling reporters:

“These extreme weather conditions have become far more frequent than we have historically been used to and highlight the importance of not only a very meaningful and robust federal, state, and local partnership among agencies and individuals, but really also highlight the fact that here in California, for example, we no longer talk about wildfire season. Any month of the year, we are likely to see these wildfires occur.”

Authorities are still investigating the causes behind the various wildfires in California, with several possible explanations being considered, including arson, downed power lines, and reignited fires from previous blazes.

Officials have yet to determine whether any of these fires were directly linked to climate-related factors.

Despite Harris’ assertions, the broader public does not appear to be fully convinced that wildfires are being driven primarily by climate change.

CNN data analyst Harry Enten has previously noted that Google search trends suggest Americans, particularly Californians, are not widely connecting wildfires to climate change.

“I don’t think Americans are making this connection,” Enten explained.

“The bottom line is this: Americans are definitely interested in learning about these wildfires. They’re interested in following the news about the wildfires. But they are not making that connection with climate change.”

On CNN: ‘My Goodness, Gracious,’ People Don’t Care About the Climate Change Narrative…

A recent CNN segment featuring John Berman and Harry Enten revealed that Americans’ concern about climate change has not significantly increased, even as searches for wildfires have surged… pic.twitter.com/NGCAVJbKEK

— RVM News (@redvoicenews) January 13, 2025

While Harris continues to push climate policy as a central component of liberal’s response to natural disasters, the public remains divided on whether environmental policies or other factors such as land management and infrastructure failures play a more significant role.

As investigations into the wildfires proceed, officials have yet to provide definitive conclusions on their causes, leaving the debate over climate change and its impact on extreme weather events an ongoing discussion.

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of LifeZette. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.