Trump Attempts To Seize Environmentalist Mantle From Democrats With Offshore Oil Ban

TOPLINE

President Trump on Tuesday attempted to outflank former Vice President Joe Biden on the environment, branding himself “the great environmentalist” and claiming the environment would be “permanently injured” under Biden while signing an executive order banning offshore drilling in the South Atlantic, despite his long record of opposing environmental protection measures.

KEY FACTS

Crucial Quote

The move prompted surprise and opposition from the oil and gas industry, which has typically counted Trump as a key ally in Washington. “It’s a complete ambush,” one industry official told Politico. “Nobody knows where this came from. It totally seems like a campaign sort of thing.”

Chief Critic

Democrats were no more supportive of the move. “Why sign an executive order (that can be reversed) when you can pass a bipartisan law to ban drilling off Florida’s shores? I don’t trust Trump, esp. when we’ve already seen his plan for offshore drilling starting after the election,” tweeted Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-Fla.), calling the order “temporary, self-serving and weak.” Mucarsel-Powell noted that House Democrats passed a bipartisan bill to permanently ban offshore drilling in the region, which she said is “waiting in the Republican senate.”

Big Number

48%. That’s the percent of likely Florida voters who say they are voting for Trump in a new NBC News/Marist poll, which also has Biden at 48%. That’s significantly narrowed from July, when Biden led by 8 points in the state in the RealClearPolitics average.

What To Watch For

The ban would likely remain in place if Biden is elected. “You don’t have to guess where I stand: I oppose new offshore drilling,” he tweeted on Tuesday, calling the order “convenient” and “unbelievable” for happening shortly before an election and in spite of Trump’s previous position on offshore drilling in the region.