Trump’s chilling wish for ‘good old global warming’

President mocks climate change as US temperatures fall so low that sharks freeze and snow records tumble

DONALD TRUMP has mocked climate change, saying that the US east coast “could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming” as temperatures fell so slow that sharks froze to death. He used the Arctic conditions to vindicate his decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord earlier this year.

Writing on Twitter, Trump said: “In the East, it could be the COLDEST New Year’s Eve on record. Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against. Bundle up!”

Democrats described his comments as “embarrassing”, with Elizabeth Warren, Democrat senator and contender to take on Mr Trump in 2020, said: “I’m going to say something really crazy. I believe in science. Climate change is real and we have a moral obligation to protect this Earth for our children and grandchildren.”

Parts of the US have been hit by a record snowfall while freezing conditions were blamed for the deaths of three thresher sharks that washed up on the shores of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, after suffering “cold shock”. In Toledo, Ohio, the Humane Society was looking into the death of a dog found “frozen solid” on a porch. The city of Erie, Pennsylvania, received 5ft of snow in 48 hours. And Minneapolis was expected to see a temperature of -17C on Saturday.

In June, the President – who once described climate change as a “Chinese hoax” – withdrew the US from the Paris agreement which aims to cut global greenhouse gas emissions. Last year’s average global temperature was a record high while the United Nations warned 2017 was on track to break that.

Mr Trump’s comments came as White House insiders suggested he was preparing to become even more outspoken in 2018, going “full Trump” on issues he believes strongly in.

That was set to include pressing for trade tariffs on Chinese goods, enthusiasm for a military strike against North Korea and pushing ahead with his promised wall on the Mexico border.

He warned Democrats he would not consider allowing the “Dreamers” – illegal immigrants brought to the US as children – to stay unless Democrats agreed to help fund the wall. He also slammed the loss-making “dumb and poor” US Postal Service for “charging Amazon and others so little to deliver their packages”.

Mr Trump also said the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into whether his 2016 election campaign colluded with Russia was “making the US look bad”. He told the New York Times: “There is no collusion, and even if there was, it’s not a crime. There’s been no collusion. But I think he (Mr Mueller) is going to be fair.”