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Press Releases

NEW VIDEO: Trump Calls Himself ‘The Great Environmentalist’ as Wildfires Devastate the West

Sep 14, 2020

Contact: Emily Samsel, emily_samsel@lcv.org, 828-713-9647

Washington, D.C. — Following Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s speech calling for urgent action on climate and as Trump speaks in California today while almost 100 deadly climate change-fueled wildfires blaze across 12 western states, LCV Victory Fund released a new video contrasting Trump’s outlandish claim that he is ‘the great environmentalist’ with his dangerous anti-environmental record.

WATCH: “Burning”

“This is what the climate crisis looks like. Donald Trump’s denial of science and refusal to listen to expert advice has put our families’ health and safety at extreme risk,” said Pete Maysmith, LCV Victory Fund Senior Vice President of Campaigns. “The impacts of the four crises currently plaguing our nation —  systemic racism, the pandemic, the climate crisis, and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression — are completely devastating for communities of color and there is only one candidate for president who will respond to all four with the urgency demanded: Joe Biden.”

“While California burns and is faced with the worst air quality in the world for over a week now, the President is spewing more lies about his environmental record and the climate crisis,” said Mary Creasman, CEO, California League of Conservation Voters. “But Californians know this crisis is real, we are feeling the tragic reality of government on all levels kicking the can down the road for years. We are paying for this inaction with our lives, our communities, our livelihoods, and our health. We are begging our fellow Americans across the country to vote for real leadership this November to give us a chance to protect all of our futures.”

Against the backdrop of ongoing wildfires, other climate fueled extreme weather events, and toxic pollution, the new video contrasts Trump’s climate denial and hypocritical claims that he is an environmentalist with the truth. Experts are calling the ongoing wildfires an “unprecedented climate change fueled event,” toxic cleanups have reached a 30-year low under Trump, air quality is “dramatically worse” this year than in previous years, and Trump’s dismantling of over 100 environmental protections has set us back 50 years.

The script of the new video is below.

“Burning”
News Anchor: Dozens of wildfires burning across our state
News Anchor: Historic weather devastating parts of Arkansas
Woman: Oh my god
Trump: Number one since Teddy Roosevelt
Who would have thought
Trump is the great environmentalist
You hear that Ed? You hear that?
All of this with the global warming — a lot of it’s a hoax
It’s a hoax
I mean it’s a money making industry, okay
It’s a hoax
We have the cleanest air
We have the cleanest water
My administration is putting an end to the war on coal
We’re gonna have clean coal
Really clean coal
Who would have thought
Trump is the great environmentalist

LCV Victory Fund announced last week that the organization and affiliated entities including LCV’s network of state affiliates, will invest at least $100 million this election cycle to defeat Trump, elect Joe Biden the next president of the United States, and elect climate and environmental justice champions up and down the ballot.

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Paid for by LCV Victory Fund, www.lcvvictoryfund.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.