Obama Compares Trump’s Delayed Coronavirus Response to Climate Change Deniers

Former President Barack Obama compared the delayed coronavirus response in the United States to climate change denial after President Donald Trump killed Obama-era fuel economy standards.

“We’ve seen all too terribly the consequences of those who denied warnings of a pandemic,” he wrote on Twitter. “We can’t afford any more consequences of climate denial. All of us, especially young people, have to demand better of our government at every level and vote this fall.”

According to Forbes, Obama’s 2012 regulation was enacted to encourage automakers to manufacture more electric and fuel-efficient vehicles. The rule would force automakers to increase the miles per gallon in their fleet of cars from 40 to 54 by 2025. The New York Times, reported the change will add a billion tons of carbon dioxide emitted over a car’s lifetime than under the previous regulations.

Other politicians have expressed their displeasure with the rule change. Senator Tom Carper (D-DEL) said on Twitter Monday the rule “will lead to dirtier air at a time when our country is working around the clock to respond to a respiratory pandemic whose effects may be exacerbated by air pollution.”

Last year, four of the world’s largest automakers (Ford Motor Company, Volkswagen of America, Honda, and BMW) reached an agreement with California on slightly less restrictive rules than the Obama standards.

Academics are also speaking out. Jem Bendell, a University of Cumbria professor, told Bloomberg in an interview this week, “The fallout from COVID-19 feels like a dress rehearsal for the kind of collapse that climate change threatens . . . this crisis reveals how fragile our current way of life has become.”

The lackluster approach to the coronavirus outbreak by President Trump and his cabinet is well documented. Business Insider reported the Trump administration is trying to remove a video of Trump calling the outbreak a Democratic hoax.

It wasn’t until yesterday, that Trump seemed to grasp the situation. Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said millions could be infected and up to 240,000 people could die across the country. Doctors are already running short on supplies and being prohibited from speaking out.