Friday during an interview on “PBS NewsHour,” former Vice President Al Gore said President Donald Trump’s approach to climate change in light of the United Nations’ new report on the potentially devastating effects of a warming climate was “literally insane.”
Partial transcript as follows:
WOODRUFF: When it comes to political reaction, the president, President Trump, people in his administration, don’t seem to be taking this new U.N. report very seriously. The president said something like ‘I can give you reports that are fabulous, I can give you some that aren’t so good.’ He and the people around him are saying, we’re mostly focused on the economy, and what we are doing rolling back those regulations, environmental regulations that have hurt our economy and slowed down business in this country.
GORE: Well, his proposal is literally insane, and his reaction to the scientific community’s warnings is an outlier reaction. It’s making the U.S. come off like a rogue nation and being different from any other nation in the entire world. And, of course, everybody knows it’s because the large carbon polluters are his buddies and he wants to use them as a way of signaling to ultra conservatives that he doesn’t care about what the truth of the matter is.
WOODRUFF: President Trump is out right now on the campaign trail almost every day trying to stir up his base voters. He’s saying the Democrats are like an angry mob, coming off the Kavanaugh nomination to the Supreme Court. He’s clearly trying to stir up his base. But my question to you is, is that an effective tactic on his part?
GORE: Well, we’ll find out this November. I don’t know, Judy. I’m not a great political analyst, but my personal impression is that there are tens of millions of Americans, some of whom wanted to take a chance on Trump last time around, changing things up, trying something new. But I think there are tens of millions who gave him a chance and are now a little bit heart sick that he has been acting out every day, telling falsehoods almost as easily as he breathes. I know some people will hear me say at the and think, oh, that’s just a Democratic reaction. I get that. We have more tribalism, to use the buzz word, that’s common these days than is healthy for our nation. But common sense and a reasoned discourse has always played a balancing role in american politics. I have a feeling that it’s going to play a role in this election. I think if ever there was a time for the reinstitution of the checks and balances that our founders put into our Constitution, now is that time. And I think a lot of Republicans and Independents as well as Democrats are kind of quietly itching for the opportunity to go to the polls and send a message to President Trump to calm down, don’t be so crazy, don’t be so harmful to our country.
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.