The Department of Energy proposed an amendment to regulations on water fixtures. The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1992 declared a maximum water threshold for showerheads of 2.5 gallons per minute
Throughout his presidency, Trump claimed multiple times that he was responsible for the Veteran’s Choice Program, which allows veterans to seek care outside of VA medical facilities. The bill as part of a bipartisan effort signed into law in 2014 by Barack Obama. Trump signed the Mission Act in 2018, which expanded on the Veteran’s Choice Program
During an October, 2018 rally in Tennessee, Trump said,
We just passed choice. That was 44 years, they’ve been trying to pass choice. They’ve been trying to pass that one for many many decades. They couldn’t do it. We got it passed.
At a May, 2019 rally in Pennsylvania, Trump reiterated his claims:
We passed VA Choice and VA Accountability to give our veterans the care that they deserve and they have been trying to pass these things for 45 years.
Dr. Richard Stone, Executive in Charge of the Veterans Health Administration, said Trump’s expansion was to “almost be a non-event,” as wait times were longer in private hospitals than VA facilities, and the use of private hospitals by veterans had begun to decline in response.
Trump again made the claim in an August, 2020 press conference, but when pressed on the inaccuracy of the claim, left abruptly.
Governor of South Dakota Kristi Noem (R) recounted her first meeting with Trump in 2018 at the Oval office:
“He said, ‘Kristi, come on over here. Shake my hand. I shook his hand, and I said, ‘Mr. President, you should come to South Dakota sometime. We have Mount Rushmore.’ And he goes, ‘Do you know it’s my dream to have my face on Mount Rushmore?’ I started laughing. He wasn’t laughing, so he was totally serious.”
According to The New York Times, a Presidential aide reached out to her later to inquire about the process for being added to Mount Rushmore. Trump immediately derided it as “fake news,” because immediately saying “sounds like a good idea to me!”
This is Fake News by the failing @nytimes & bad ratings @CNN. Never suggested it although, based on all of the many things accomplished during the first 3 1/2 years, perhaps more than any other Presidency, sounds like a good idea to me! https://t.co/EHrA9yUsAw
Trump retweeted a video of Stella Immanuel claiming that hydroxochloroquine was a cure for COVID-19. Trump made the unsubstantiated claims about the drug many times, despite there being no evidence for it. She also called masks unnecessary.
Immanuel previously claimed that various gynecological diseases were the result of sexual intercourse with demons and their “evil deposits.” She also claimed that medicines were made from “alien DNA.” In 2019, she was sued for malpractice.
In a subsequent press conference, Trump referred to her as “very impressive,” drawing criticism and ridicule as “demon sperm” became a trending Twitter topic.
On July 9, 2020, Goya CEO Robert Unanue appeared at the White House Rose Garden to praise Trump. Unanue likened Trump to his grandfather, who founded Goya, saying “We’re all truly blessed at the same time to have a leader like President Trump, who is a builder. And that’s what my grandfather did.”
The remarks immediate sparked backlash against the company from critics of the administration. In response, Trump and his daughter Ivank posed with various Goya products, posting them on Instagram and Twitter.
The photos were met with another round of backlash, as they appeared to violate federal ethics rules about using one’s position for promotional purposes. Federal law outlining the standards of conduct for employees in the executive branch are directly prohibited from using the office for private gain:
§ 2635.702 Use of public office for private gain.
An employee shall not use his public office for his own private gain, for the endorsement of any product, service or enterprise, or for the private gain of friends, relatives, or persons with whom the employee is affiliated in a nongovernmental capacity, including nonprofit organizations of which the employee is an officer or member, and persons with whom the employee has or seeks employment or business relations. The specific prohibitions set forth in paragraphs (a) through (d) of this section apply this general standard, but are not intended to be exclusive or to limit the application of this section.
After taking the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, or MoCA, Trump claimed that his doctors were “very surprised” at the results of his test, which he said he “aced.” However, the White House has not released any details about the results of the exam.
In a July 19, 2020 Fox News interview with Chris Wallace, Trump also challenged Biden to take the exam. He said that the questions “get very hard,” and didn’t think Wallace would be able to answer them.
However, the creators of the exam have themselves described it as simple, intended only to test basic cognitive function rather than as any measure of intelligence. The one-page test can be easily found online.
With 16 single-sided pages and 4 colored pencils, Trump’s campaign sold coloring books depicting him as a superhero for $20.
Official Trump coloring book for $20.
Other products include a Trump puzzle, “I HEART Trump” straws, children’s Trump/Pence wood trucks and trains, infant one-pieces, wrapping paper featuring Trump’s face, and a collectable Christmas ornament in the shape of a red MAGA hat.
Trump’s official campaign merchandise received renewed attention after a Twitter user pointed out the negative effects of online shopping cart abandonment.
Go to the trump merch store.
Load up your digital cart with as much merch as you can fit.
Now instead of checking out, take a little break (or a long one) and go read about the wonderful world of digital shopping cart abandonment and it’s negative effects on available inventory
— ????????????????? (@christophurious) June 24, 2020
At a 2017 Phoenix rally, Trump championed “clean coal,” though he seemed unclear as to what it was.
We’ve ended the war on beautiful, clean coal, and it’s just been announced that a second brand new coal mine where they’re going to take out clean coal – meaning they’re taking out coal, they’re going to clean it – is opening in the state of Pennsylvania.
“Clean coal” has nothing to do with the mining and extraction process. It refers to various complex technologies used to mitigate the carbon emissions that arise from burning coal, the dirtiest of fossil fuels. Championing coal was a core component of Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Trump at a rally in West Virginia. Saul Loeb—AFP/Getty Images
Because of the cost associated with developing and implementing such technologies, the term “clean coal” has been derided by critics as a fabrication. The Sierra Club has long maintained that “clean coal” is an oxymoron, and that there is no way to “clean” coal to any substantive degree that would be superior to alternative forms of energy.
Despite being a climate change denier, in 2017, the CEO of the United States’ largest coal company agreed.
Murray Energy Corp. CEO Robert Murray explained, “Carbon capture and sequestration does not work. It’s a pseudonym for ‘no coal.’ It is neither practical nor economic, carbon capture and sequestration. It is just cover for the politicians, both Republicans and Democrats that say, ‘Look what I did for coal,’ knowing all the time that it doesn’t help coal at all.”
![President Donald Trump holds up a Trump Digs Coal sign as he arrives to speak during a Make America Great Again Rally at Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington, West Virginia in August.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/donald-trump-coal-robert-murray.jpeg?w=800&quality=85 "President Donald Trump holds up a "Trump Digs Coal" sign as he arrives to speak during a Make America Great Again Rally at Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington, West Virginia in August.")
