Tomorrow, Donald Trump will be inaugurated as 45th president of the United States. All the world will be watching as Trump is sworn in to the stylings of 3 Doors Down and associated acts.
Image credit: CNN
It’s a painful moment for those who enjoyed The Hunger Games series but never envisioned it becoming their own reality. The timing couldn’t be worse, considering just this week, NOAA and NASA confirmed 2016 was the hottest year on record for the third year in a row — in case you forgot, Donald Trump has adamantly denied the existence of climate change, calling it “very expensive”, “bullshit” and a “hoax”. He points to winter as proof that everyone smarter than him is wrong.
Despite overwhelming evidence that climate change is real — and that people play a critical role in catalysing it — the US president-elect, a failed reality star, has refused to listen to literal scientists. Before he takes office, let’s take a look back at some of the most terribly misguided statements he’s made about global warming.
10) ‘A total, and very expensive, hoax!’
Ice storm rolls from Texas to Tennessee – I’m in Los Angeles and it’s freezing. Global warming is a total, and very expensive, hoax!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2013
Global warming is no hoax at all, according to the thousands of Earth scientists who are studying it. And if Trump thinks moving off fossil fuels is going to be expensive, he should take a look at the staggering cost of doing nothing.
9) ‘Global warming HOAXSTERS’
The weather has been so cold for so long that the global warming HOAXSTERS were forced to change the name to climate change to keep $ flow!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2014
While global warming and global climate change are often used interchangeably, scientists prefer the latter term today because it encompasses the broad range of environmental shifts taking place. There is no shadow cabal paying scientists to trick people.
8) ‘Magnificently clean and healthy air’
We should be focused on magnificently clean and healthy air and not distracted by the expensive hoax that is global warming!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2013
Where is this air?
7) ‘Big fat dose of global warming’
It’s really cold outside, they are calling it a major freeze, weeks ahead of normal. Man, we could use a big fat dose of global warming!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 19, 2015
Again, this phenomenon is called ‘winter’.
6) ‘Snowing & freezing in NYC’
It’s snowing & freezing in NYC. What the hell ever happened to global warming?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 21, 2013
Again, winter. It’s a thing.
5) ‘They don’t believe it $$$$!’
Any and all weather events are used by the GLOBAL WARMING HOAXSTERS to justify higher taxes to save our planet! They don’t believe it $$$$!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2014
I know Trump’s not a fan of paying taxes, but I’d like to think the rest of us would chip in if it meant “saving the planet”.
4) ‘very expensive GLOBAL WARMING bullshit’
This very expensive GLOBAL WARMING bullshit has got to stop. Our planet is freezing, record low temps,and our GW scientists are stuck in ice
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2014
Show me on the maps where the record low temps are.
3) ‘I am tired of hearing this nonsense’
Give me clean, beautiful and healthy air – not the same old climate change (global warming) bullshit! I am tired of hearing this nonsense.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2014
Counterpoint: More than half of Americans live in counties with unhealthy levels of particle pollution and ozone.
2) Not from Trump himself, but who could forget this gem from The Guardian in November 2016:
Bob Walker, a senior Trump campaign adviser, said there was no need for NASA to do what he has previously described as “politically correct environmental monitoring.”
…You mean literal science?
1) And finally, who could forget:
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
It’s OK to cry.