On May 16 local time, Trump posted: "Finally free! For the past 15 years, Democrats have been screaming about climate change destroying the Earth. Now, the United Nations’ top climate body has admitted—our own forecast models (RCP8.5) were wrong! Wrong! Completely wrong!
For years, climate extremism has been weaponized by Democrats: frightening American citizens, pushing disastrous energy policies, and funneling billions into their pseudo-scientific projects. The Democrats have exploited climate alarmism to sell their 'Green New Deal hoax,' while my administration will always speak the truth, respect science, and stand on facts!
— President Donald J. Trump
The message reflects yet another outburst of Trump’s long-standing climate skepticism. In light of recent international developments and his policy moves, this can be interpreted from the following dimensions:
Trump seized on a technical detail—the UN climate panel admitting that one of its projection models (RCP8.5 high-emission scenario) contained inaccuracies—and inflated it into a claim that climate science as a whole is fundamentally "completely wrong."
While the climate science community continuously refines and revises various models, this does not negate the fundamental fact that human activity is causing global warming.
Trump directly labels climate change as a “Green New Deal hoax” used by Democrats to intimidate the public and secure research funding. The essence of such rhetoric is not about uncovering scientific truth, but rather catering to his conservative voter base and fossil fuel donors, turning a serious global issue into a political weapon in America’s partisan warfare.
This extreme statement is not an isolated incident—it closely aligns with his recent series of concrete "withdrawal" actions.
Since returning to the White House in 2025, the Trump administration has directed the U.S. to exit dozens of international organizations, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
During his tenure, he not only withdrew from the Paris Agreement again, but also actively suppressed clean energy development domestically, fired government scientists in relevant fields, and loosened regulations for fossil fuel extraction. This latest post serves to provide a supposed "fact-based" justification for these unilateralist and protectionist energy policies, further solidifying his political image as an anti-establishment, anti-elite figure.
When the U.S. treats climate action as a "hoax," countries including China, the European Union, and the vast majority of "Global South" nations are accelerating their energy transition. As recently highlighted by senior UN climate officials, China’s green strategy is not just a carbon reduction plan, but a comprehensive industrial and development blueprint. The U.S. absence may actually reduce competition for other nations, hastening the formation of new global climate cooperation mechanisms that exclude America.
Trump’s post is a classic example of "attack as defense." He attempts to justify destructive energy policies and diplomatic isolationism by rejecting climate science. However, such a move against the global trend cannot alter the objective reality of planetary warming. Instead, it risks isolating the U.S. further in the international arena and accelerating the transfer of global climate governance leadership to other nations.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1865390938099740/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.