Sunday morning, President Donald Trump hopped onto Twitter to share his thoughts on Winter Storm Harper, the intense winter storm which has hit the Midwest and is heading East. Mind you, five people have already died, thousands of flights have been canceled, and countless people are without power. Not to mention the dire impact severe weather conditions can have on vulnerable communities, like those who are homeless, can’t afford heat, or live with a disability.
Of course, Trump can’t talk about the weather without making some extremely ignorant remarks about climate change. All under the guise of a joke!
First, he tweeted:
Be careful and try staying in your house. Large parts of the Country are suffering from tremendous amounts of snow and near record setting cold. Amazing how big this system is. Wouldn’t be bad to have a little of that good old fashioned Global Warming right now!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2019
Then he followed with:
Brutal and Extended Cold Blast could shatter ALL RECORDS – Whatever happened to Global Warming?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2018
Of course, Trump has a long record of saying asinine things when it comes to climate change. The absolute closest he’s gotten to sharing responsible, fact-based information is when he was interviewed on 60 Minutes.
In the interview, he admitted that he doesn’t “think it’s a hoax” (it isn’t!) and that there’s “probably” a difference in temperature (there is…) but that he doesn’t “know that it’s manmade” (it is). This still incredibly frustrating (and frankly, dangerous) statement is the closest he’s gotten to the truth, and it’s still a ways away. Because, that’s right, Trump still ultimately rejects that climate change is manmade. Meaning we’re still in a humiliating place.
How bad have his tweets been before this morning?
Before a cold spell in late December 2017, he tweeted:
In the East, it could be the COLDEST New Year’s Eve on record. Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against. Bundle up!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 29, 2017
It seems the president doesn’t know the difference between the “weather” and the “climate.” Weather being short-term (like an incoming storm), and climate being an average of weather that’s looked at over space and time. Or maybe the question is: Does Trump care about the difference? Does he care about the long-term impact he has, period?
Going further back memory lane to 2012, when Trump tweeted the following, which he later insisted was a “joke” of sorts:
The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2012
Ah yes. An entirely nonsensical assertion that “the Chinese” created global warming.
As we all know, climate change is no laughing matter. If we don’t change our ways when it comes to taking care of the planet, the long-term results appear catastrophic. In 2018, global carbon emissions reached a record high. Even The Pentagon has described climate change as a security threat. But again: Could Trump care any less?
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