President Donald Trump drew the ire of predecessor Barack Obama for rolling back stringent fuel efficiency standards for vehicles, which Obama said was akin to Trump’s tepid response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Obama linked to Trump’s decision Tuesday to ease up on fuel economy standards for new cars and trucks — introduced in 2012 by the Obama administration and designed to combat the climate crisis — to the federal response to the coronavirus crisis, which has caused nearly 4,000 deaths in the U.S.
“We’ve seen all too terribly the consequences of those who denied warnings of a pandemic,” Obama tweeted Tuesday, without naming Trump. “We can’t afford any more consequences of climate denial. All of us, especially young people, have to demand better of our government at every level and vote this fall.