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EDITORIAL: This ONE THING completely DISQUALIFIES Trump

Trump’s climate denial isn’t just ignorant—it’s a threat to the planet’s survival.

Nov 3

When it comes to Donald Trump’s unfitness for office, we are long past the need to recount every offense. His disregard for democratic principles, open racism, cognitive decline, and multiple felony convictions all paint a stark picture of a candidate fundamentally unfit to serve. But one glaring disqualification seems to have faded into the background over time: Trump’s stance on climate change.

Trump has famously called climate change a “hoax,” and that dismissal is more than just a one-off quip—it’s a dangerous rejection of reality. In a rational society, climate change would be at the forefront of every political discussion, especially as we see more back-to-back hurricanes and severe wildfires displacing millions and costing billions. Yet Trump has somehow convinced millions that the crisis is secondary, a mere sideshow to fear-based rhetoric on immigration and security threats that pale in comparison to the climate emergency looming over us all.

What Trump and his allies are promoting isn’t just denial but a reckless march toward environmental degradation. His Project 2025 agenda doesn’t just ignore the climate crisis; it actively accelerates it. This policy roadmap includes everything from increasing fossil fuel extraction to defunding FEMA and cutting disaster response programs, just as hurricanes and wildfires are becoming more intense and frequent. It’s hard to imagine anything more reckless than dismantling protections and privatizing services like hurricane tracking in a time of growing climate chaos. Imagine being in the path of a hurricane, unable to receive timely alerts because weather tracking has become a pay-for-service model under a Trump-led government.

The economic consequences of this denial are staggering. Just look at Florida, where homeowners’ insurance has spiked by 60% since 2019, largely due to escalating climate risks from intensified hurricanes. And even for those who can afford the premiums, there’s no guarantee insurance companies will honor claims after a major storm. The scientific consensus is clear: if we don’t drastically reduce carbon emissions, the future we’re heading towards will be not just costly but catastrophically destabilizing.

Let’s talk immigration for a moment, since Trump’s base sees it as the paramount issue. Even if one accepts this premise, the reality is that climate change will amplify migration on an unimaginable scale. The UN projects that by 2050, parts of the tropics and the Middle East may become uninhabitable due to extreme heat. Where do we think those people will go? How will we handle climate-driven migration if we’re already panicked by today’s comparatively minor immigration challenges? Even Trump’s supporters who focus on border security would do well to consider the implications of ignoring climate change.

But Trump has done the opposite. He’s ridiculed renewable energy, calling wind turbines “bird graveyards,” and embraced fossil fuels with a zeal that’s not only outdated but delusional. His administration dismantled environmental protections designed to ensure clean air and water, prioritizing short-term profits over public health. Trump doesn’t merely deny the reality of climate change; he actively worsens it.

Democrats, for their part, have made strides in climate policy, but they aren’t moving fast enough. Both Biden and Harris value economically thwarting China, so they’ve undermined our ability to import cheap solar panels and electric cars by imposing tariffs. Biden has increased federal climate funding, yet his administration has presided over record levels of fossil fuel production. Kamala Harris, who once campaigned on a $10 trillion climate plan, has since moderated her stance on fracking, likely out of concern for swing-state voters and backlash from Trump’s relentless shaming on the topic. And then there’s J.D. Vance, dismissing climate change as “weird science” on the debate stage while Tim Walz touted record oil production. The very party that is supposed to champion climate action appears lukewarm at best, and at worst, complacent.

But make no mistake: Trump’s outright climate denialism is uniquely dangerous. During a recent debate, none of the Republican candidates would even raise a hand to acknowledge that human activity contributes to climate change. When Vivek Ramaswamy declared the “climate change agenda” a hoax, he echoed Trump’s own denialist rhetoric. The result is an uninformed public, uncertain and powerless in the face of a crisis that threatens their livelihoods and futures.

This denialism isn’t just ignorance; it’s about power, profit, and self-interest. According to the Center for American Progress, there are currently 123 sitting members of Congress who deny that climate change is even real. And it’s not just the lawmakers. A recent study found that about 15% of Americans still don’t believe in climate change. It’s no accident that a significant portion of the electorate is this misinformed. This is the product of calculated, cynical messaging designed to protect fossil fuel interests, regardless of the consequences.

The climate emergency we face today is not just an environmental issue; it’s a public health crisis. Rising temperatures are increasing the frequency of heat-related illnesses, worsening air quality, and spreading diseases like malaria. The World Health Organization estimates that climate change could result in an additional 250,000 deaths per year between 2030 and 2050. That’s 250,000 lives lost each year due to inaction and denial.

Trump’s climate stance is a direct threat not just to the environment but to our collective future. We need leaders who recognize the urgency of the climate crisis and are willing to tackle it head-on. Trump’s anti-science agenda isn’t simply reckless; it’s deadly. A responsible leader would put the health of the planet and its people above the short-term profits of fossil fuel companies. Instead, Trump has aligned himself with climate denialists who choose profit over people, dragging the country further down a path of irreversible destruction.

If we truly value the future, Trump’s rejection of climate science should disqualify him outright. Denialism isn’t just a harmless opinion; it’s dangerous. And it’s time we see it as the disqualification that it is.