REPORT CARD: Trump Gets an F in Ohio; In November, He’ll Get an L

Washington, D.C. – Ahead of Ohio’s primary, we’re here to remind you that Donald Trump failed Ohio families and the economy as president. His anti-worker and climate-denier agenda hurt Ohio’s burgeoning clean energy economy, threatened the health of communities across the state, and disrupted the federal government’s ability to prevent and respond to environmental disasters. Trump repealed clean car standards that would have saved families money at the pump and protected wages for workers across the nation. The cancellation was estimated to cost Ohio over $717 million per year. Families in Ohio can’t afford another Trump presidency. 

“On Trump’s last visit to Ohio, he promised there would be a ‘bloodbath’ if he loses in November – but his policies already left a wake of destruction in Ohio,” said Climate Power communications director Alex Glass. “Trump weakened protections that made our workers safer, our air and water cleaner, and hurt the auto industry. President Biden’s clean energy plan has brought Made in America manufacturing back to Ohio, and if Donald Trump is elected, he will gut our progress and drive out good-paying clean energy jobs.”

FAIL:  During his presidency, Trump withdrew an Obama-era plan to require faster brakes on trains carrying highly flammable materials. He also delayed a rule that demanded at least two crew members on freight trains and erased a ban on transporting liquified natural gas by rail. 

• In February 2023, a freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, causing physical harm to residents and disrupting daily life. This was a direct result of Trump’s bad environmental safety policies, and East Palestine is still recovering from the disaster over a year later.

FAIL: Under Trump, the U.S. saw 15% more days with unhealthy air than under President Obama. According to the American Lung Association’s 2023 State of the Air Report – which looks at data from 2019, 2020, and 2021 – multiple counties and metropolitan areas in Ohio have unhealthy air quality.

• The worsened air quality during Trump’s administration was particularly impactful in Ohio’s communities of color. In 2019, Black adults in Ohio visited the emergency department for asthma at a rate nearly six times that of white adults, and Black children accounted for over one-half (51.8%) of asthma emergency department visits despite comprising just 16.2% of the state’s population.

FAIL: Trump imposed tariffs on solar energy, tried to eliminate the electric vehicle tax credit, and hampered the leasing and planning processes for renewable energy projects. 

• Meanwhile, President Biden’s clean energy plan has spurred eight new solar projects in Ohio, driving over $1.6 billion in new investment and creating over 2,000 new jobs. 
• President Biden’s Clean Energy Plan will further lower the cost of clean energy in the state, reducing the costs of solar and wind power by 23% and 35%, respectively.

FAIL: Trump’s new policy proposals would decimate Ohio’s auto industry. Trump’s clean cars regulatory cuts were estimated to cost Ohioans over $717 million annually due to weakened worker overtime protections and price-gouging at the pump. 

• Biden’s clean energy plan has spurred 12 new EV and battery projects in Ohio, driving over $6 billion in new investment and creating over 3,000 new jobs. 
• Ohio will receive $140 million in federal funding over five years to deploy EV charging infrastructure throughout the state.

FAIL: While Donald Trump continued to deny the reality of the climate crisis and rollback protections, Ohio saw 13 billion-dollar disaster events that killed 63 people and caused $47.6 billion in damages during his presidency.

• While Trump was in office, FEMA incurred over $139 million in disaster costs in Ohio for three severe storm events. 
• During Memorial Day Weekend in 2019, 21 tornadoes with winds up to 140 miles per hour touched down in Ohio. The outbreak devastated communities in western Ohio, including the Dayton area.