NEW: Trump’s Energy Secretary Pick “Stand[s] By” Dismissing Deadly Wildfires As “Hype” Arrow

In response to Chris Wright's dismissal of deadly wildfires in California as "hype," DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement:

"While ongoing wildfires continue to devastate California, Donald Trump's pick to lead the Energy Department, Chris Wright, is still standing by his appalling comments dismissing deadly wildfires as 'hype.' Wright's baseless comments aren't just offensive - they show once again that Trump and his Cabinet picks are willing to play politics when it comes to Americans' safety and well-being while pursuing an extreme, climate-denying agenda that would hurt working families."

Donald Trump's pick for energy secretary, Chris Wright, doubled down on his baseless comments about climate change, calling wildfires "hype."

Senator Padilla: "You've written that the 'the hype over wildfires is just hype.' … Given the devastation we're currently experiencing in Los Angeles, do you still believe that wildfires are just 'hype?' …"

Chris Wright: "I stand by my past comments."

Washington Post: "Trump's pick for energy secretary rejects linking climate change and wildfires"

"Wright, who has declared there is no 'climate crisis,' has also argued that climate change has not fueled more frequent and severe wildfires - a claim at odds with the scientific consensus. …

"In a 2021 appearance on the PetroNerds podcast, Wright criticized mainstream media outlets for drawing a connection between wildfires and warming. Wildfires are 'a major thing in the news now,' he said. 'It's climate change. It's climate change.' … The short answer: It is not.' …

"In the summer of 2023, as smoke from Canadian wildfires engulfed the East Coast, Wright wrote on LinkedIn that 'the hype over wildfires is just hype to justify' harmful climate policies. He linked to a Wall Street Journal opinion piece by Bjorn Lomborg, a Danish political scientist and author who contends that experts have overstated the negative impacts of climate change."

During his briefing on the California wildfires in 2020, Trump ignored experts and said he didn't "think science knows" if the threat of climate change was real.

NPR: "'I Don't Think Science Knows': Visiting Fires, Trump Denies Climate Change"

"With wildfires devastating the West and a hurricane bearing down on the Gulf Coast, President Trump, who has for years mocked and denied the reality of climate change, was briefed on Monday on the status of fires in California.

"Still, even as more than two dozen wildfires roared across California alone, Trump declined to acknowledge the role climate change likely played in fueling the flames."

CBS News: "Trump says 'I don't think science knows' about climate"

"In California, [Trump] questioned climate change, and blamed the fires on poor forest management even though many forests in California are federally managed.

"California National Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot disagreed that the rapidly spreading wildfires could entirely be blamed on forest management. He told Mr. Trump, 'We want to work with you to really recognize the changing climate, and what it means to our forests.' Crowfoot warned, 'If we ignore that science, and sort of put our head in the sand, and think it's all about vegetation management, we're not going to succeed together protecting Californians.'

"[Trump] claimed the climate would 'start getting cooler.'

"'I wish science agreed with you,' Crowfoot replied.

"'I don't think science knows,' [Trump] responded."

Trump called climate change "one of the greatest con jobs ever" after he spent every single year in office gutting and undermining environmental protections and regulations.

Trump: "So now they called it climate change because climate change covers

everything. If it gets warm, if it gets cold. Climate change is one of the greatest con jobs ever, because 'global warming' didn't work."

New York Times: "Over four years, the Trump administration dismantled major climate policies and rolled back many more rules governing clean air, water, wildlife and toxic chemicals."

Associated Press: "[Trump] rolled back dozens of environmental rules he considered overly burdensome on businesses. Many of the regulations were designed to protect the environment and public health, but were viewed by the Trump administration as costly and unnecessary."

Politico: "Trump is once again seeking deep and unrealistic cuts to most federal agency budgets … The EPA's budget would see a nearly 27 percent chop."

Slate: "In Trump's budget, which was also released today, the discretionary budget for the … [EPA] is cut by $2.8 billion."

Rolling Stone: "[Trump] dismissed the idea that climate change is anything to worry about. 'The oceans are going to rise 1/100 th of an inch in the next 300 years and it's going to kill everybody,' he said sarcastically. 'It's going create more oceanfront property, that's what it's going to do.'"

Forbes: "Donald Trump told host Stuart Varney that climate change is 'a hoax.' The former president said 'in my opinion, you have a thing called weather, and you go up, and you go down,' he said. 'If you look into the 1920s, they were talking about a global freezing, okay? In other words, the globe was going to freeze.'"

Washington Post: "Trump reiterated some of his frequently repeated falsehoods and petty grievances. 'The global warming hoax, it just never ends,' he said. He mocked the concept of sea levels rising, disputing widely held science. 'To which I say, great, we have more waterfront property,' he said. 'There was a big thing about global cooling - what will be next?' he said. Trump said he was

more concerned about 'nuclear warming' than global warming."

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.