President Donald Trump slammed the Green New Deal environmental plan and socialism in his speech Saturday at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
"We believe in the American dream; not the socialist nightmare,” he said at the conference, located in Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C.
Trump mocked the Green New Deal – most prominently backed by newly elected U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – by saying that he hopes Democrats continue to support it because he wants to be the Republican who gets to run against it. He said that the Democrats were trying to destroy the American economy with a proposal that would cost $100 trillion. It is unclear how much the resolution would cost.
“I encourage it,” Trump said, “I think it's really something Democrats should promote. No planes. No energy. When the wind stops blowing, that's the end of your electric.”
Vice President Mike Pence and several other talkers also criticized the Green New Deal at CPAC and likened its policies to socialism. Ocasio-Cortez is a self-proclaimed democratic socialist.
The plan, which has received backing from major Democrats, including every Democratic senator running for president, is a non-binding resolution aimed at combating climate change and economic inequality.
The resolution includes a proposal to ensure that 100 percent of power comes from “clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources” in 10 years. It also calls for eliminating as much pollution as is technologically possible, which critics have said would harm a wide range of industries. Among other things, the resolution would also call for a guarantee that any person who wants a job will receive a family-sustaining wage.
Tyler Arnold is a staff writer at Watchdog.org, generally reporting on Virginia, Ohio and Michigan.
