President Donald Trump on Tuesday morning declared himself an “environmentalist” in public remarks before meeting with automobile manufacturers, but as the day wore on, he and his new administration seemed intent on realizing the worst fears of the broader conservation movement.
In the same breath in which he characterized himself as an environmentalist, Trump said that he believes that the movement is “out of control” and promised a “very big push” to have more cars built in the United States. He also promised for the second day in a row to roll back regulations that he said are stifling the productivity of U.S. businesses. On Monday, he told a different group of business leaders that he believes he could do away with 75 percent of federal regulations or more.
