It’s no secret that many scientists, myself included, knew things would get rocky for the integrity of science when Donald Trump was reelected last year, but the speed at which he’s rolled out anti-science policies is both shocking and deeply concerning.
This week’s events have only spotlighted that more glaringly.
During a press conference on Monday, Trump teamed up with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is known for his anti-vaccine stance. They made claims—contrary to all scientific consensus—that Tylenol and vaccines are linked to autism. Reacting with real disbelief, the medical community spoke out against these assertions in horror. Not long after, in his United Nations speech, Trump called climate change a hoax—for the second time—and downplayed the crisis that concerns so many people globally.
His press conference and U.N. address could serve as prime examples in the new book I’ve written with Peter Hotez, Science Under Siege. In it, we talk about how the U.S. has a rich history of valuing scientific discoveries—from Eli Whitney’s cotton gin in the 18th century to the Wright Brothers’ innovations a century ago. We’ve thrived on technology and scientific growth.
Yet seeing Trump in action lately, you would think we’ve never celebrated science at all. Instead of supporting our scientists, his administration is pushing against them at every turn.
Peter Hotez has already commented on the damage of Trump’s anti-vaccine narrative. But let’s dive into Trump’s U.N. speech—another rant that fuels climate denial while benefiting fossil fuel industries.
This speech showcased a tactic commonly described as the “Gish gallop, “ where speakers overwhelm the audience with a barrage of fallacies aimed to drown the truth in a flood of falsehoods.
Take Trump’s flimsy claims and the stunning inaccuracies from a climate scientist’s viewpoint. With over 20 years of legal battles against climate misinformation, certain lies stick out glaringly.
For example, when Trump said scientists had claimed global warming will destroy the planet, only for it to then become cooler—which is completely untrue. Scientists **never** said warming would kill the world. Instead, they communicate that unmitigated climate change poses a severe risk to all of humanity. And anyone keeping up knows just how disastrous extreme weather events have gotten—think wildfires, heat waves, flooding; it’s a reality battering our neighborhoods as per each headline.
The phrases “global warming” and “climate change” actually serve distinct but related purposes (the former talks about surface temperature increases, the latter about broader impacts such as altered weather patterns, loss of ice, etc.). Some scientists did indeed speculate a cooling phase back in the ‘70s due to pollution effects, but it’s just a myth publicized by climate deniers to suggest an overall prediction of cooling.
Next up, Trump blasted predictions made by scientists across various organizations, calling them, among other things, “stupid people”—a classic case of projection perhaps? But analyzing those remarks leads us to confront more contradictions. ExxonMobil’s scientists internally acknowledged actual climate risks as early as the 1980s—with precise future warming scenarios discussed, and potential catastrophic fallout recognized.
For decades, however, Exxon and other fossil fuel companies have made efforts to bury this crucial information and thwart scientists who show the harsh reality. Classic climate misinformation wasn’t just oblivion; it has led to the current disastrous extreme weather configurations we now regularly face—evidently even exceeding what some scientific projections laid out.
You might think Trump just has a contradictory streak. Honestly? That cheapens the point. What Trump is undertaking is powering forward a plan from decades back, rooted in corporate and political interests. Every time he speaks, he’s a living mockery of declining while setting precedent for our country.
Michael E. Mann holds the title of Presidential Distinguished Professor of Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Together with Peter Hotez, he authored “Science Under Siege: How to Fight the Five Most Powerful Forces that Threaten Our World.”
