President Donald Trump tweeted Monday night that frigid temperatures in the Midwest were reason to distrust the scientific consensus on global warming.
Trump took the cold weather as evidence that climate change isn’t a threat to the earth and humanity, mockingly imploring global “waming” to “please come back fast, we need you!”
In the beautiful Midwest, windchill temperatures are reaching minus 60 degrees, the coldest ever recorded. In coming days, expected to get even colder. People can’t last outside even for minutes. What the hell is going on with Global Waming? Please come back fast, we need you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2019
But, as most Americans know, climate change and global warming haven’t gone anywhere. In fact, officials from the Climate Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) rebutted the same claim by the following morning.
Winter storms don't prove that global warming isn't happening. https://t.co/LDqfq4JH9n pic.twitter.com/ndmLD637Cb
— NOAA Climate.gov (@NOAAClimate) January 29, 2019
NOAA is under jurisdiction of the Commerce Department, headed by Commerce Secretary and Trump appointee Wilbur L. Ross.
While NOAA’s tweet didn’t call out the President directly, many were led to believe they were trolling him.
Is the NOAA trolling the president? https://t.co/Gybz4TyEdT
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 29, 2019
https://twitter.com/jaytay777/status/1090292650903625729
@TVsJonLee Government department subtweeting the leader of the Executive Branch pic.twitter.com/diiq5nPmJz
— Dana Childs (@DanaKChilds) January 29, 2019
Today's forecast is stone cold with a 100% chance of shade
— alain smithee (@alainsmi) January 29, 2019
He does like pictures! Maybe this will do the trick?
— mish (@shellymatic) January 29, 2019
In case you thought climate scientists don’t study “shade!”
— Werner Heisenberg (@scienceartcats) January 29, 2019
While the President’s own officials trolling him may seem comical, the tweet brought about some sobering thoughts.
For instance, the President’s denial of expert opinions and overestimation of his own knowledge. This isn’t a first either. Last year, multiple federal agencies compiled a report stressing the inevitable threat of unmitigated climate change. Trump’s response to the report by his own officials? “I don’t believe it.”
He later said:
“One of the problems that a lot of people like myself, we have very high levels of intelligence, but we’re not necessarily such believers. You look at our air and our water, and it’s right now at a record clean. But when you look at China and you look at parts of Asia and when you look at South America, and when you look at many other places in this world, including Russia, including — just many other places — the air is incredibly dirty.”
Many feel that Trump has stood so adamantly against facts for so long that merely pointing out truth constitutes “throwing shade” at the President.
When facts and science are considered "trolling the president", the problem is the president.
— Donald Trump’s Conscience (@Against_Klep) January 29, 2019
Sad that accurately reporting facts are considered trolling in this day and age
— Natalie (@distilledepoxy) January 29, 2019
It’s a sad state we’re in when a governmental agency stating a scientific fact is considered trolling the president of the United States.
— Joe Rose (@joe_rose_) January 29, 2019
When there are so many misconceptions to correct, eventually it will sound like trolling.
— billydee (@billydee77654) January 29, 2019
They are just standing up to insanity.
— Wayne Everhart (@Wayne_524) January 29, 2019
Hopefully, it won’t take disaster for climate change deniers to come to terms with the truth.
