Former President Donald Trump has criticized Josh Green, the governor of Maui, and Joe Biden for how they have handled the devastating wildfire that has engulfed the Hawaiian island.
Instead of accepting responsibility for the inadequate planning and handling of the aftermath, Trump charged the governor with placing the blame for the disaster on global warming and other nebulous factors.
Green recently began discussing global warming in an MSNBC interview when asked why Lahaina residents weren’t warned or sirens didn’t sound.
"I want to warn the entire planet about this," Hawaii Gov. Josh Green says. "When fire jumped from one spot to another, it got seeded very quickly with those 80mph winds… That's what a fire-hurricane is going to look in the era of global warming." pic.twitter.com/u754NmpEBF
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) August 13, 2023
Hawaii Governor Josh Green again, when pressed about why Lahaina residents weren’t warned or sirens didn’t go off, goes into lecture about global warming (yes we’re back to global ‘warming’).
Never let a crisis go to waste. pic.twitter.com/USmAIlhCyc
— Duke Canuck 🤙 (@duke_canuck) August 13, 2023
Who is Josh Green?
American politician and physician Joshua Booth Green, born in 1970, has been the governor of Hawaii since 2022. He is a member of the Democratic Party and has served in a number of elected positions over the course of his career. Green held the position of 15th lieutenant governor of Hawaii from 2018 to 2022 before being elected governor. In addition, he served in the Hawaii House of Representatives from 2004 to 2008 and the Hawaii Senate from 2008 to 2018.
Green was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but was born in Kingston, New York. In 1988, he graduated from Quaker Valley High School as valedictorian. In 1992, he graduated from Swarthmore College with a Bachelor of Science in anthropology, and in 1997, he attained his Doctor of Medicine from Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
Green practiced family medicine and worked in emergency rooms in Hawaii after completing his residency, frequently providing care in outlying areas. For his leadership and dedication during the COVID-19 pandemic, he twice received the Hawaii Medical Association’s Physician of the Year award.
In 2004, Green was chosen to serve in the Hawaii House of Representatives. In 2008, he was elected to the Hawaii Senate. He supported policies like Luke’s Law, which established an insurance requirement for kids with autism, and the 21-year-old tobacco product legalization age.
Green was appointed lieutenant governor in 2018 and has since prioritized healthcare and homelessness issues. After winning the Democratic primary and general election, he was elected governor in 2022. He wants to address Hawaii’s housing shortage and rising cost of living as governor. Green has two children with Jaime Ushiroda, with whom he is married. He is well-known for his background in medicine and dedication to public service.