Trump declares ‘Victory’ on climate change after Bill Gates’ remarks
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Donald Trump calls Bill Gates' recent climate memo a victory, claiming Gates admitted being wrong about climate change.
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Bill Gates speaks during the Global Fund's Seventh Replenishment Conference on September 21, 2022 in New York. (AP)
US President Donald Trump has declared what he called a “victory” over climate change discourse, citing recent remarks by billionaire Bill Gates suggesting that global warming would not bring about the end of civilization.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that Gates had “admitted he was completely wrong” about the severity of climate change.
"I (WE!) just won the War on the Climate Change Hoax. Bill Gates has finally admitted that he was completely WRONG on the issue. It took courage to do so, and for that we are all grateful," Trump wrote.
Trump, who has long dismissed climate change as a “liberal hoax”, used the moment to reinforce his rejection of environmental policy, calling climate concerns the "greatest con job ever" during a recent UN General Assembly speech.
Bill Gates: Warming world not an existential threat
The statement follows Gates’ release of a memo this week, where he stated that while climate change has serious consequences, it “will not lead to humanity’s demise.”
“People will be able to live and thrive in most places on Earth for the foreseeable future,” Gates wrote, in what many observers viewed as a significant shift in tone.
He emphasized that tackling poverty and disease would better prepare vulnerable populations for a changing climate, rather than sounding alarms of global catastrophe.
Trump’s environmental stance: Reversal and denial
Since returning to power after the 2024 election, Trump has reversed numerous green policies implemented by previous administrations. His campaign, heavily backed by Big Oil donations, has prioritized domestic fossil fuel production and weakened environmental regulations.
Trump has repeatedly framed climate policy as an economic threat and dismissed international climate cooperation. Gates acknowledged potential criticism for his carbon footprint and clarified that his remarks were not meant to downplay the reality of climate change. He pointed to real progress made in reducing emissions and expressed optimism about future technologies that will drive climate solutions.
Still, his comments were quickly seized upon by climate skeptics, including Trump, who used them to bolster longstanding claims that climate change is exaggerated or fabricated.
