Trump: Green New Deal ‘the most preposterous thing’ and ‘easy to beat’

by Morgan Gstalter - 03/22/19 8:43 AM ET

President Trump went after the Green New Deal in an interview that aired Friday, calling the proposal championed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) “preposterous” while saying it will be “easy to beat.”

“You look at this Green New Deal — it’s the most preposterous thing,” Trump said during an exclusive interview with Fox Business that aired Friday. “Now I don’t want to knock it too much right now because I really hope they keep going forward with it, frankly, because I think it’s going to be very easy to beat.”

The president has mocked the resolution before, comparing it to a “high school term paper that got a low mark.”

{mosads}The White House in a statement on the proposal last month said that Trump “has vowed that America would never be socialist, and this administration will fight this central planning disaster,” and called the plan a “roadmap to destroy the American Economy.”

The Green New Deal, backed by a large number of progressive Democrats, calls for upgrading U.S. infrastructure to reduce emissions and shift to renewable energy.

The plan was introduced into Congress last month by Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.).

It has seen some pushback from centrist Democrats who say climate change must be targeted in a more gradual manner.

The proposal has gained some support among Democrats campaigning for the 2020 presidential nomination, but Republicans have attacked the plan.

Sen. John Barrasso (Wyo.), a member of GOP leadership, argued that the proposal “drives a stake into the heart” of the U.S. economy and would result in a “gift” to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said he will force a vote on the progressive measure, which is expected next week. It has zero chance of getting the 60 votes needed to advance.

Top Democrats have tried to brush off GOP “trolling” by questioning what Republicans have done to address climate change after taking control of the Senate in 2015.