Trump praises his environmental record, doesn't mention rolling back of protections or climate change


With a former coal lobbyist standing on one side and a former oil lobbyist on the other, President Trump on Monday touted his record on the environment, praising his policies that experts say will actually cause more pollution and hasten the worst effects of climate change.
Trump, who has rolled back or severely curtailed more than 80 environmental regulations and removed the United States from the Paris climate change accord, gave his speech, titled "America's Environmental Leadership," on the advice of consultants to his re-election campaign, The New York Times reports. One senior White House official said internal polling shows millennials and suburban women do not like his environmental record, and the speech was an attempt to show moderates "he's being responsible."
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler, once a lobbyist for the coal industry, and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, a former oil lobbyist, have both come under fire for some of their proposals — the EPA last month finalized a plan to replace an Obama-era rule on coal pollution with one that keeps plants open longer, while Bernhardt wants to drill more in public lands and waters.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump was quick to tout that greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. have dropped about 10 percent over the last few years, but he did not mention that it is primarily due to an increase in the use of natural gas or that under his policies, which promote the use of more coal, emissions are expected to go back up. "It is an utter farce for the president to talk about America's environmental leadership, when he has been a champion of the polluters," presidential historian Douglas Brinkley told the Times. When it comes to environmental stewardship, "Trump is seen around the world as a Darth Vader-like figure."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Where will international students go if not the US?
Talking Points China, Canada and the UK are ready to educate the world
-
5 electrifying books to read this June to spark your imagination
The Week Recommends A love story set in space, a pair of ambitious debuts and more
-
The New World screwworm is making a deadly comeback
The explainer The parasite is spreading quickly
-
EPA is reportedly killing Energy Star program
speed read The program for energy-efficient home appliances has saved consumers billions in energy costs since its 1992 launch
-
US proposes eroding species protections
Speed Read The Trump administration wants to change the definition of 'harm' in the Environmental Protection Act to allow habitat damage
-
Severe storms kill dozens across central US
Speed Read At least 40 people were killed over the weekend by tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms
-
Rain helps Los Angeles wildfires, risks mudslides
Speed Read The weather provided relief for crews working to contain wildfires, though rain over a burn area ups the chances of flooding and mudslides
-
Death toll rises in LA fires as wind lull allows progress
Speed Read At least 24 people have died and 100,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders
-
Biden cancels Italy trip as raging LA fires spread
Speed Read The majority of the fires remain 0% contained
-
Fast-spreading Los Angeles wildfires spark panic
Speed Read About 30,000 people were under an evacuation order as the inferno spread
-
Hundreds feared dead in French Mayotte cyclone
Speed Read Cyclone Chido slammed into Mayotte, a French territory in the Indian Ocean