ROUNDUP: Trump Dodged Climate Debate Question, Lied About Gutting Health Protections, Went on Unhinged H2O Rant

ROLLING STONE HEADLINE: “Trump Won’t Commit to Doing Anything About Climate Change; During the presidential debate, Trump twice refused to name anything he would do to slow the climate crisis”

FACT CHECK: Trump gutted more than 125 environmental protections, including critical safeguards against noxious chemicals in the air we breathe and water we drink.

Washington, D.C. – At last night’s debate, Donald Trump repeatedly refused to answer basic questions about doing one single thing to stop climate change, then lied about having the worst environmental record of any President in U.S. history, even incoherently stating, “We had H2O.” People noticed.  

FactCheck.org, FactChecking the Biden-Trump Debate:  “During a short exchange about climate change, Trump boasted that during his tenure “we had the best environmental numbers ever.” … “According to an analysis by the New York Times, Trump’s administration reversed nearly 100 environmental rules, including 28 regulations on air pollution and emissions, and eight rules that limited water pollution. Reportedly, Trump recently asked oil executives and lobbyists to donate to his campaign, promising he would roll back other environmental rules that hurt fossil fuel interests.”

Rolling Stone: “Trump Won’t Commit to Doing Anything About Climate Change; During the presidential debate, Trump twice refused to name anything he would do to slow the climate crisis.”

Los Angeles Times, How Trump lied about his climate record at the presidential debate: “Two-thirds of the way through Thursday night’s presidential debate, CNN journalist Dana Bash finally asked the candidates how they would tackle a challenge that scientists say poses an existential threat to human civilization: climate change.”

The Huffington Post, Trump Did Say 1 True Thing At The Presidential Debate: “The U.S. did have water during Trump’s first term. That much is true. But while Trump often talked about wanting clean water and air, he was no environmental champion. He rolled back decades of clean water protections and dozens of environmental rules. Much of his deregulatory policy was aimed at lifting up fossil fuel and other extractive and polluting industries.”

MSNBC, In debate, Trump raises stakes in race to address climate crisis: “Part of the problem with the answer was that Trump was plainly wrong: Air and water quality in the United States got worse, not better, during his presidency. His frequent boasts on the issue got reality backward.” … “What’s more, the idea that air and water quality improved during his presidency is still demonstrably wrong.  As for the argument that the United States “had H2O” during Trump’s term, I will gladly concede the point, though this was an odd thing to brag about during a debate.”

Mother Jones, Trump Won’t Commit to Doing Anything About Climate Change: “During my four years,’ he added, ‘I had the best environmental numbers ever. My top environmental people gave me that statistic just before I walked on the stage actually.’ (It’s unclear what Trump meant here, but during his time in office, Trump gutted dozens of environmental rules.)”

The Associated Press,”  FACT FOCUS: Here’s a look at some of the false claims made during Biden and Trump’s first debate: “During his presidency, Trump rolled back some provisions of the Clean Water Act, eased regulations on coal, oil and gas companies and pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord. When wildfires struck California in 2020, Trump dismissed the scientific consensus that climate change had played a role. Trump also dismissed scientists’ warnings about climate change and routinely proposed deep cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency.”

The New York Times, Debate Fact Check: Biden and Trump on the Economy, Immigration and Foreign Policy: “Mr. Trump responded to a question about what he might do in response to climate change by saying that his administration rolled back nearly 100 environmental regulations, including protections on clean air and clean water.”

Heatmap, What Were Trump’s ‘Environmental Numbers,’ Actually?: “Trump’s presidential record also speaks for itself: During his four years in office, he rolled back 100 environmental rules or more, including removing pollution controls on streams and wetlands and gutting Obama-era emission standards. According to one estimate in the esteemed British medical journal The Lancet, Trump’s environmental policies resulted in 22,000 deaths in 2019 alone. He’s been described as the worst president for the environment in U.S. history.”

The Independent, Biden says Trump will ‘undo’ progress on tackling climate crisis: “Another Trump administration could add four billion metric tonnes to US greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to a second Biden term, according to an analysis published in March by Carbon Brief. The analysis warned that if Mr Trump secured a second term, the US would “very likely miss its global climate pledge” by a wide margin.”

Time, Climate at the Debate: Muddy Details, Clear Records: “Trump spent four years undoing climate rules and pulling the U.S. back from international climate commitments…Biden has put climate at the center of his administration, most significantly with the Inflation Reduction Act, a climate law that will subsidize clean technologies to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars.”