As 2020 Democratic presidential candidates campaigned ahead of the Iowa caucuses, President Donald Trump held a rally in the state's capital city of Des Moines.
In addition to his usual targets—immigrants, Democratic lawmakers, and others—Trump perpetuated myths about the Green New Deal and efforts to curtail the impending disasters brought by the climate crisis.
Watch below.
Trump claimed the Green New Deal would:
"crush our farms, destroy our wonderful cows. I love cows. They want to kill our cows. You know why, right? ... They want to kill our cows. That means you're next."
The claim is bizarre, especially coming from a man who put his name in gold attempting to market a failed line of steaks.
Some facts:
The goal of the Green New Deal is to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by the year 2050, rather than no carbon dioxide emissions at all.
A fact sheet on the Green New Deal explained the emissions goal of net-zero rather than no emissions by facetiously stating, "we aren't sure that we'll be able to fully get rid of farting cows and airplanes that fast."
Republicans seized on this, claiming that Democrats were trying to ban cows and cheeseburgers and make air travel illegal.
In reality, the GND outlines ways to offset the emissions caused by air travel and methane-producing cows by investing and exploring clean technology, investing in high speed rail travel that lessens the need for air travel, and making meat substitute options more common in order to shrink the dependence on industrial agriculture.
People pointed out the obvious regarding Trump's claims that Democrats want to kill cows:
And what exactly did he mean by "You're next"?
Just another day in Trumpland. Can you take another four years of this?
