Trump Celebrates Major Climate Policy Rollback Amid Controversy

Fri Feb 13 2026 05:21:41 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a significant move, President Trump announced the rollback of key climate regulations established during the Obama administration, presenting it as a political victory while sparking fierce debate among environmentalists and Democrats.

President Donald Trump has declared a sweeping rollback of federal climate change policies, framing his administration's actions as a political win against the Democratic Party's environmental agenda. The move, which revokes an Obama-era 'endangerment finding' linked to pollution's impact on health and the environment, is seen as a major victory for Republicans as they ramp up strategies for the upcoming midterm elections. Critics argue that this rollback will compromise the U.S.'s ability to address climate change effectively, raising concerns about the implications of such deregulations.

US President Donald Trump framed his sweeping rollback of federal climate change policy on Thursday as a political win over the Democratic Party's 'radical' environmental agenda, reprising a message Republicans have used in past elections and could turn to once again ahead of November's crucial midterms.

His announcement at the White House was one of the most significant moves of his second term in office. The president said he was revoking an Obama-era 'endangerment finding' from 2009 which held that pollution harms public health and the environment.

For almost 17 years, the US has used that scientific finding as the legal basis to establish policies to reduce emissions from cars, power plants, and other sources of planet-warming gases.

This radical rule became the legal foundation for the Green New Scam, Trump said, using a term popular with Republicans for describing Democratic environmental and climate policies.

The move marks the culmination of a decade-long push by Trump to tear up policies that Democrats and many climate experts say are needed to rein in emissions. It is one of the most far-reaching reversals of American climate policy yet.

Trump, who has called climate change a 'hoax' and a 'con job', dismissed the science underpinning the Obama-era rule in remarks that took on the air of a victory lap over his Democratic opponents.

Critics remain adamant that this decision will jeopardize the US's ability to combat climate change, claiming that it prioritizes short-term economic gains for the fossil fuel industry over long-term environmental health. Democrat leaders have expressed outrage, suggesting that this action could undermine public safety and health amid growing concerns surrounding climate-related disasters.

The rollback has sparked uncertainty about its effects on the upcoming congressional elections, a situation punctuated by conflicting voter priorities, such as economic security versus climate change policies. As of late, surveys indicate an upward trend in public concern regarding climate change, adding pressure on candidates who align closely with Trump's environmental stance.