Martina Navratilova tears into Donald Trump over resurfaced climate change denial amid devastating LA wildfires

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has voiced her criticism after a 2020 video resurfaced of then-President Donald Trump dismissing concerns about climate change. The video shows Trump shrugging off warnings from experts about the connection between global warming and devastating wildfires.

The 2020 wildfires in the United States were particularly severe, especially in the Western states. Over 10.2 million acres burned across California, Oregon, and Washington, driven by severe thunderstorms, hot, dry conditions, and strong winds. These fires caused over $19 billion in damages, destroyed more than 13,800 structures, and resulted in at least 40 direct deaths.

On January 11, 2025, an X (formerly Twitter) user shared a clip of Trump during a 2020 roundtable with California officials discussing the raging fires across California, Oregon, and Washington.

In the video, Trump could be seen downplaying the science behind the worsening fires, stating that temperatures would "start getting cooler" despite expert warnings about the role of climate change.

California Governor Gavin Newsom and former California Secretary of Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot attempted to explain the connection between warming temperatures and the fires, but Trump remained unconvinced.

Watch the video here:

Fast forward to January 2025, as Trump prepares to take office again, the Los Angeles wildfires have caused widespread destruction. At least 11 lives were lost, and 180,000 people evacuated. Damages are estimated at $135-$150 billion, making this one of the costliest wildfire events in U.S. history.

Navratilova, a vocal critic of Trump, reshared the video, highlighting the former president’s tendency to ignore scientific consensus and pointing out his know-it-all attitude.

"Hmm. Because Trump knows better than the science and scientists, knows more about ISIS than the generals, knows more about nuclear weapons than the engineers who built them, knows how to protect women and also knows how to grab women..."

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Martina Navratilova voices her concerns as Donald Trump clinches 2nd Presidential term

Martina Navratilova during the 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards press conference (Image source: Getty)

Martina Navratilova urged American voters to take heed after Donald Trump won a second term in the White House, defeating Democrat Kamala Harris in the election.

The 18-time Grand Slam singles champion shared her message with U.S. citizens on X (formerly Twitter) on November 6, 2024.

"Well, Trump won. Fear and anger won. And a country that was born as a racist patriarchy proved beyond any reasonable doubt it still is a racist patriarchy. Not sure when this ceases to be true," Martina Navratilova wrote.

In other news, Martina Navratilova denounced President-elect Donald Trump's administration's decision to withdraw the U.S. from the World Health Organization.