Trump Is Now Mocking the Democrats’ Green New Deal

President Donald Trump was on a roll last night. First, he mocked Democrats for turning the border wall into a 2020 campaign issue. Then, he skewered Sen. Elizabeth Warren with an apparent joke referencing the Trail of Tears.

Now, it seems Trump is taking on the Democrats’ Green New Deal — proposed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez –and just how “great” it would be for the “so-called ‘Carbon footprint’ to eliminate among other things cows and the military.

He tweeted:

“I think it is very important for the Democrats to press forward with their Green New Deal. It would be great for the so-called “Carbon Footprint” to permanently eliminate all Planes, Cars, Cows, Oil, Gas & the Military – even if no other country would do the same. Brilliant!”

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Trump in fact may have found a potent campaign issue. After her rollout, Ocasio-Cortez got some devastating publicity because she was forced to clarify details of the Green New Deal. She has made some big mistakes, and she may be playing into the hands of Trump’s re-election committee, according to an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times.

So this morning Ocasio-Cortez and her aides are still in damage-control mode and attempting to clarify details of the Green New Deal after an FAQ sheet it released sparked an uproar.

Ocasio-Cortez’s office sent a copy of the resolution this week as well as an FAQ sheet about the initiative to various media outlets, which was published. The FAQ sheet included provisions about eliminating air travel, guesswork surrounding cows’ flatulence and economic security for those who are “unable or unwilling to work.”

The document immediately was attacked by conservatives who said some of the policies in the FAQ document showed the Green New Deal was not a serious proposal.

The AOC tweeted in response:

“There are multiple doctored GND resolutions and FAQs floating around. There was also a draft version that got uploaded + taken down. There’s also draft versions floating out there.

“When I talk about the GND, this is what I’m referring to – nothing else,” she added in another tweet, again linking to the legislation.

Still, the Los Angeles Times editorial made some very cutting remarks about the GND proposal. The author wrote:

“When I hear Ocasio-Cortez and others describe dismantling the airline industry and replacing it with high-speed trains, abolishing the internal combustion engine, passing living-wage proposals and renovating every building in the U.S., I see a 4-year-old promising to make her mother the “bestest cake ever.”

“The best news for Republicans is that it looks like Democrats are going to craft their 2020 strategy around this lunacy, and I’m going to be handing out cigars and brandy to celebrate President Trump’s reelection.”

The 2020 presidential campaign is just getting started, and topics such as climate change, global warming, and rising sea levels are sure to be a part of it. There is no question that government needs to take action in these areas.

The challenge for Democrats now is to come up with effective potential solutions to the problem that don’t appear too extreme to American voters. That is a tough challenge, but if they don’t do it they will be opening themselves up to being mocked by Trump and other Republicans. In fact, it is possible that if not handled correctly these issues could in fact help Donald Trump get reelected in 2020, which would be the worst disaster of all.

Leo Vidal

I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.