Carlo Allegri/Reuters
- President Donald Trump mocked the Green New Deal and joked that he should lose the 2020 election if the ambitious proposal ever became a reality.
- "It’s the craziest thing," Trump said of the Green New Deal and Democrats on Tuesday. "They believe it."
- Trump’s also made a flippant remark toward Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, a freshman lawmaker who championed the Green New Deal, by mocking the congresswoman’s previous work as a bartender.
- "The Green New Deal. Done by a young bartender, 29-years-old, wonderful young woman," Trump said as the audience laughter.
President Donald Trump mocked the Green New Deal and joked that he should lose the 2020 election if the ambitious proposal ever became law.
"It’s the craziest thing," Trump said of the Green New Deal and Democrats, during a speech at the National Republican Congressional Committee’s annual spring dinner on Tuesday. "They believe it."
Trump encouraged the audience not to oppose the plan in hopes that it backfires against the Democrats during the upcoming 2020 US presidential election.
"And we will have to do something. But don’t do it too early, please, don’t kill it," Trump said of the Green New Deal. "Because we want to be able to run against it. If they beat me with the Green New Deal, I deserve to lose."
The Green New Deal in itself is a nonbinding resolution and proponents of it would still face legislative hurdles to pass it. The majority of the Democratic caucus voted "present" in a 57-0 vote against the measure last week, after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called for a procedural vote.
Alex Brandon/AP Images
Trump also made a flippant remark toward Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, a freshman lawmaker who championed the Green New Deal, by mocking the congresswoman’s previous work as a bartender.
"The Green New Deal. Done by a young bartender, 29-years-old, wonderful young woman," Trump said as the audience laughed.
"You have senators that are professionals. That, you guys know, that have been there for a long time," Trump added. "White hair, everything perfect. And they’re standing behind her and they’re shaking. They’re petrified of her."
Ocasio-Cortez appeared to take the widespread Republican taunt in stride. The lawmaker responded to one such incident after a person tweeted a facetious comment about her bartending work.
"’This bartender’ has served in a Senate casework office, organized and educated [thousands] of young people, earned relevant degrees [with] honors, worked on field campaign …" she tweeted in January.
"Bartending + waitressing (especially in NYC) means you talk to [thousands] of people over the years," she said in another tweet. "Forces you to get great at reading people + hones a razor-sharp BS detector. Just goes to show that what some consider to be ‘unskilled labor’ can actually be anything but ;)."
Ocasio-Cortez and the Green New Deal have been popular targets for many Republican lawmakers and some Democrats. Her version of the nonbinding resolution calls for a massive overhaul of the nation’s infrastructure — including powering the entire country using renewable resources, completely cutting greenhouse emissions from automobiles, and guaranteeing jobs for citizens.
Opponents of the plan have described it as too costly and have criticized its inclusion of broad, progressive principles, such as guaranteeing "a job with a family-sustaining wage, adequate family and medical leave, paid vacations, and retirement security to all people of the United States."
See Also:
- Bernie Sanders continues to dodge questions about releasing his tax returns, even as he pressures Trump to do the same
- Trump is reportedly ‘saving’ a seat on the Supreme Court for conservative Amy Barrett in place of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- ‘SNL’s’ Donald Trump celebrates the Mueller report summary: ‘Daddy won!’
SEE ALSO: Democratic officials and activists voice their support for Joe Biden amid misconduct allegations
Source: Business Insider – dchoi@businessinsider.com (David Choi)