Donald Trump has chosen Ed Russo, a past environmental consultant for the Trump Organization, to lead the upcoming Environmental Advisory Task Force at the White House. Russo has previously referred to the president-elect as an “environmental champion.”
In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that Russo will assist him with “efforts to create excellent jobs and safeguard our natural resources, by adhering to my agenda of CLEAN AIR and CLEAN WATER.”
Russo authored the 2016 publication Donald J. Trump: An Environmental Champion, and as reported by Politico, he declined an offer to serve as White House environmental adviser during the initial Trump administration.
At that time, Russo asserted that during the 17 years he collaborated with Trump, “he was a strong proponent of clean air and clean water.”
However, Trump has consistently dismissed the realities of climate change, labeling it a “hoax.” During his presidency, he withdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement and repealed over 100 environmental regulations aimed at mitigating global warming.
Trump’s selection for leading the EPA, former New York congressman Lee Zeldin, holds a mere 14 percent lifetime environmental voting record according to the League of Conservation Voters.
