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- President Donald Trump said on Friday that Joe Biden’s energy plans would result in seniors not having air conditioning in the summer.
- The president made his comment at The Villages, a sprawling central Florida retirement community dominated by Republicans.
- Trump is currently underperforming with seniors relative to his first presidential campaign based on multiple national and swing state polls.
- Trump has been highly critical of Biden’s potential energy agenda, accusing the vice president of working against the oil industry.
- Biden has said that it was his desire to move away from subsidizing the fossil fuel industry in the future.
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President Donald Trump said on Friday that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s energy plans would result in seniors not having air conditioning in the summer.
During a rally at The Villages, a sprawling retirement community in central Florida dominated by conservative voters, Trump expressed how he felt Biden’s plans would transform everyday life.
“Biden’s plan would mean that America’s seniors have no air conditioning during the summer, no heat during the winter, and no electricity during peak hours,” he said. “It’s true. He wants wind. When the wind doesn’t blow, ‘Lets watch the president on television tonight, darling’…’I’m sorry we can’t, the wind is not blowing tonight.'”
—The Hill (@thehill) October 24, 2020
The appeal comes as Trump has lagged in support from Americans over age 65 throughout his reelection campaign, with Biden currently winning over seniors in multiple battleground states.
During the final presidential debate this past Thursday, Biden said that he 'would transition from the oil industry,' if elected, which drew immediate blowback from Trump, congressional Republicans, and vulnerable Democratic incumbents in energy-rich states like Oklahoma and New Mexico.
Biden backtracked after the debate, saying that he wanted to transition away from government subsidies for the fossil fuel industry.
"Eventually we're going to have to go to oil, but we're not getting rid of fossil fuels," he said. "We're getting rid of the subsidies for fossil fuels, but we're not getting rid of fossil fuels for a long time."
Biden then stated that the transition from fossil fuels would likely not occur until 2050.
At the rally, Trump continued with his attacks, accusing Biden of wanting to pursue extreme environmental policies, something that the vice president has roundly denied.
"He's been saying no fracking," he said. "He got the [Democratic] nomination and all of a sudden he's [for] fracking. No fossil fuels and no gas-powered cars. Ultimately, let's not have cars. Let's get rid of airplanes."
Democrats and environmental groups have long fumed at what they deem as the Trump administration's hostility to the environment and support of energy interests, from opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas development to the weakening of fuel-economy standards in automobiles.
Trump has rolled back 72 environmental regulations since taking office in 2017, with another 27 rules currently slated to be dismantled, according to The New York Times.