Biden never declared a climate emergency. Trump did it for energy on Day 1.

By Scott Waldman | 01/21/2025 06:31 AM EST

The new president “understands the intersection of politics and energy better,” a climate activist said.

President Donald Trump gestures after the 60th Presidential Inauguration on Monday in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.

President Donald Trump gestures after the 60th presidential inauguration Monday in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. Pool photo by Julia Demaree Nikhinson

Minutes into his second term, President Donald Trump declared a “national energy emergency” and said he would bring forth a “golden age” of domestic affordability and global dominance.

Though largely symbolic, the move was an especially bitter pill for climate advocates.

Not only do they dispute the need for an energy emergency — as U.S. oil and gas production has thrived the past several years — but Trump’s Day 1 decision comes after activists failed for four years to convince former President Joe Biden to declare a similar emergency for climate change.

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Collin Rees, U.S. program manager for the activist group Oil Change International, said Trump’s quick turnaround shows he understands the political potency of an emergency declaration.

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