Donald Trump’s stance on energy and climate change

Republican nominee Donald Trump’s energy policies have focused on utilizing more energy sources while simultaneously creating more jobs and boosting the American economy.

According to Trump’s campaign website, his energy plans are based on “unleashing America’s $50 trillion in untapped shale, oil and natural gas reserves, plus hundreds of years in clean coal reserves.” Trump claims that shale energy production alone could add 2 million jobs in seven years and that the oil and natural gas industries can create 400,000 new jobs per year. He has also declared that his energy policies will “bring [America’s] energy companies back,” and that they will also be able to benefit the American economy in another way by “paying off [the country’s] tremendous budget deficits.”

In response to undecided voter Ken Bone’s question during the second presidential debate, Trump addressed whether or not his approach on energy would still ensure an environmentally “clean” America. He expressed that while he supports alternative forms of energy, including wind and solar, he maintains that with the current energy system, America “needs much more than wind and solar” and that it is “putting a lot of people out of work.”

Trump has also attacked the current energy system by proclaiming “energy is under siege by the Obama administration.” Trump added that as president of the United States, he intends to “rescind all job-destroying Obama executive actions.” His campaign website further states, “Obama’s anti-energy orders have weakened our security, keeping us reliant on foreign sources of energy.”

Trump’s website contains a section about the contrast in energy policy between him and Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. The website alleges that Clinton’s energy plans “don’t want American energy” and will hinder the economy by “putting a lot of coal companies and coal miners out of business.” Trump further criticized Clinton by stating that her plans will “lock away trillions in American wealth,” which he says is “the American People’s treasure.”

Trump stated that Obama and Clinton’s combined energy policies will damage the American economy by “eliminating half a million manufacturing jobs, reducing economic output by $2.5 trillion dollars and incomes by $7,000 dollars per person.” These projected numbers would be as of 2030.

Regarding the correlation between “dirty” energy and global environmental concerns about climate change, Trump’s Twitter account has not acknowledged “man-made” climate change. Instead, it used the phrase “hoax” multiple times. A 2012 deleted tweet claimed that “climate change was created by and for the Chinese to make U.S manufacturing non-competitive.” However, more recently in a January 2016 “Fox and Friends” interview, Trump said that he “obviously jokes that [climate change] is done for the benefit of China.” There are several other instances of Trump calling out climate change as a “hoax.” In January 2014, Trump tweeted, “This very expensive GLOBAL WARMING (obscenity) has got to stop. Our planet is freezing,” and also expressed disbelief that our country is “still spending money on the GLOBAL WARMING HOAX.” He also claimed that “any and all weather events are used by the GLOBAL WARMING HOAXSTERS to justify higher taxes.”

Since Trump announced his decision to run for president in June 2016, he has continued to defend his beliefs that climate change is a “hoax” that exists because of money-making schemes. He stated in a September 2015 CNN interview, “I don’t believe in climate change.” Two months later at a South Carolina rally, Trump remarked, “Obama’s talking about global warming, and a lot of it’s a hoax. It’s a hoax. I mean, it’s a money-making industry.”