Trump 2020 campaign hauls in $200,000 selling straws

July 25, 2019

While President Trump has often deemed the climate crisis a “hoax,” his recent campaign haul by selling reusable straws is far from “fake news.” Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale said over Twitter that the president’s reelection campaign sold more than 140,000 straws which are listed on the president’s campaign site at $15 a pop.

“That is over $200,000 raised. More than half of all Straw purchasers were BRAND NEW small-dollar donors. Amazing!” said Parscale. The campaign lists the pack of straws with the following caption for MAGA supporters:

“Liberal paper straws don’t work. STAND WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP and buy your pack of recyclable straws today.”

The sale comes more states are banning plastic straws in restaurants, and replacing them with compostable or paper options in an effort to protect ocean and sea life, while reducing stress on American landfills.

Straws are the seventh-most common trash item found on beaches, thanks to the massive amounts American use — about 500 million a day, according to the National Park Service.

Mr. Trump, however has rolled back much of President Obama’s environmental policies over the course of his time in office, including withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement and ending regulations like the Clean Power Plan. The president has also expressed skepticism about government research that shows a warming planet and potentially catastrophic consequences if the trend continues.

Asked if he supports a ban on plastic straws, the president told reporters last week “we have bigger problems than plastic straws.”

“It’s interesting about plastic straws: So, you have a little straw, but what about the plates, the wrappers, and everything else that are much bigger and they’re made of the same material? So, the straws are interesting. Everybody focuses on the straws. There’s a lot of other things to focus on,” he added.