Donald Trump has launched a scathing attack on proposals to build a six-mile sea wall around New York, urging instead the city’s residents to use “mops and buckets” to cope with climate change related disasters.
The US president, who has previously claimed global warming is a “hoax” invented by the China, branded plans for a sea wall in his hometown “costly, foolish and environmentally unfriendly” on Twitter on Saturday night.
Mr Trump tweeted: “A massive 200 Billion Dollar Sea Wall, built around New York to protect it from rare storms, is a costly, foolish & environmentally unfriendly idea that, when needed, probably won’t work anyway.
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“It will also look terrible. Sorry, you’ll just have to get your mops & buckets ready!”
The price tag the world leader apportioned to the sea wall is not accurate – with the Army Corps of Engineers predicting the barrier would cost $119 billion and 25 years to construct.
Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves
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Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves
1/29
Trump styles his ‘You’re fired!’ pose in his Trump Tower office in June 2012. At the time he was known as a reality TV star on The Apprentice
Diane Bondareff/Invision/AP
He was also well known as the patron of the Miss Universe competition
Early signs of Trump’s ambition for the presidency can be found everywhere. Not least in his 2011 book ‘Time to get tough: Making America #1 again’
Trump with Piers Morgan in November 2010. Piers Morgan has long held that he and Trump are good friends
Trump appeared on Fox & Friends, his favourite show, in August 2011
Trump considered running in the 2012 election, where he would have faced Barack Obama. He is speaking here at an event for a Republican women’s group
Trump was subject to a Comedy Central roast in 2011. He is pictured here being roasted by rapper Snoop Dogg
Given that this Trump store is in the lobby of Trump Tower, it can be said that Trump sells merchandise of himself out of his own home
Trump held meetings with prominent Republicans when considering his 2012 bid. He is pictured here with Alaska governor Sarah Palin
He didn’t end up running in 2012 afterall, instead endorsing Republican candidate Mitt Romney
11/29
Trump’s golf course in Aberdeen proved controversial in 2012 when he began lobbying the Scottish government against wind power in order that they wouldn’t install turbines off the shore by his new course
He even gave evidence to a Scottish parliamentary committee discouraging wind energy
He still found time for a round of course
14/29
On 16 June 2015, Trump announced that he would run for the presidency of the United States in the 2016 election as a Republican
His campaign was divisive, courting controversy wherever he went. Ultimately he was declared the Republican candidate in June 2016
Trump took part in the TV debate against opponent Hillary Clinton on 9 October
Trump and wife Melania vote in the presidential election on 8 November 2016
18/29
Hillary Clinton conceded defeat at 2:50am on 9 November and president-elect Trump swiftly delivered his victory speech to a crowd of supporters
News coverage around the world focused on the huge political upset that Trump’s victory spelled
20/29
Trump met with president Obama to discusss transition planning on 10 November. Obama had fiercely denounced Trump during the election campaign, at one point even swearing that he would not leave the White House if Trump won
AFP/Getty
21/29
Donald Trump and Nigel Farage pose in the golden elevator at Trump Tower on 12 November 2016. Farage was the first British politician to meet with Trump after the election
LeaveEUOffical/Twitter
22/29
The inauguration of Donald Trump took place on 20 January 2017. Trump’s press secretary Sean Spicer boasted that the crowd was the ‘largest ever’ to witness an inauguration, a claim that was proved not to be true
In his first 100 days as leader, Trump signed 24 executve orders, the most of any president
24/29
One of Trump’s most memorable election pledges was to build a wall between the US and Mexico. He is standing here in front of a prototype for a section of the wall
Trump’s meetings with other world leaders have provided no short supply of photo opportunities
Trump was welcomed to the UK by the Queen and a state banquet was held at Buckingham Palace in his honour
Not everyone welcomed the president. Mass protests were held in London throughout his visits in both 2018 and 2019
One of the most significant meetings Trump has held with another leader was with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. In June 2019, Trump became the first sitting president to set foot in North Korea
2020 will see president Trump fight for a second term in office, who knows what the next decade will bring?
Trump styles his ‘You’re fired!’ pose in his Trump Tower office in June 2012. At the time he was known as a reality TV star on The Apprentice
Diane Bondareff/Invision/AP
He was also well known as the patron of the Miss Universe competition
Early signs of Trump’s ambition for the presidency can be found everywhere. Not least in his 2011 book ‘Time to get tough: Making America #1 again’
Trump with Piers Morgan in November 2010. Piers Morgan has long held that he and Trump are good friends
Trump appeared on Fox & Friends, his favourite show, in August 2011
Trump considered running in the 2012 election, where he would have faced Barack Obama. He is speaking here at an event for a Republican women’s group
Trump was subject to a Comedy Central roast in 2011. He is pictured here being roasted by rapper Snoop Dogg
Given that this Trump store is in the lobby of Trump Tower, it can be said that Trump sells merchandise of himself out of his own home
Trump held meetings with prominent Republicans when considering his 2012 bid. He is pictured here with Alaska governor Sarah Palin
He didn’t end up running in 2012 afterall, instead endorsing Republican candidate Mitt Romney
11/29
Trump’s golf course in Aberdeen proved controversial in 2012 when he began lobbying the Scottish government against wind power in order that they wouldn’t install turbines off the shore by his new course
He even gave evidence to a Scottish parliamentary committee discouraging wind energy
He still found time for a round of course
14/29
On 16 June 2015, Trump announced that he would run for the presidency of the United States in the 2016 election as a Republican
His campaign was divisive, courting controversy wherever he went. Ultimately he was declared the Republican candidate in June 2016
Trump took part in the TV debate against opponent Hillary Clinton on 9 October
Trump and wife Melania vote in the presidential election on 8 November 2016
18/29
Hillary Clinton conceded defeat at 2:50am on 9 November and president-elect Trump swiftly delivered his victory speech to a crowd of supporters
News coverage around the world focused on the huge political upset that Trump’s victory spelled
20/29
Trump met with president Obama to discusss transition planning on 10 November. Obama had fiercely denounced Trump during the election campaign, at one point even swearing that he would not leave the White House if Trump won
AFP/Getty
21/29
Donald Trump and Nigel Farage pose in the golden elevator at Trump Tower on 12 November 2016. Farage was the first British politician to meet with Trump after the election
LeaveEUOffical/Twitter
22/29
The inauguration of Donald Trump took place on 20 January 2017. Trump’s press secretary Sean Spicer boasted that the crowd was the ‘largest ever’ to witness an inauguration, a claim that was proved not to be true
In his first 100 days as leader, Trump signed 24 executve orders, the most of any president
24/29
One of Trump’s most memorable election pledges was to build a wall between the US and Mexico. He is standing here in front of a prototype for a section of the wall
Trump’s meetings with other world leaders have provided no short supply of photo opportunities
Trump was welcomed to the UK by the Queen and a state banquet was held at Buckingham Palace in his honour
Not everyone welcomed the president. Mass protests were held in London throughout his visits in both 2018 and 2019
One of the most significant meetings Trump has held with another leader was with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. In June 2019, Trump became the first sitting president to set foot in North Korea
2020 will see president Trump fight for a second term in office, who knows what the next decade will bring?
Mr Trump’s rant followed a report on the barrier, which would shield New York as sea levels surge and ferocious storms become more common and extreme due to climate change.
The sea wall, which would construct a barricade of man-made islands with retractable gates, has faced criticism from some.
According to the report, the wall would not be able to guard against flooding from high tides and storm overflow and could shut in sewage and toxins that could damage the city’s ecology.
Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York, hit back at Mr Trump on Twitter and argued the world leader’s “climate denial” was deadly.
Mr Blasio said: “’Mops and buckets’. We lost 44 of our neighbours in Hurricane Sandy. You should know, you lived here at the time. Your climate denial isn’t just dangerous to those you’ve sworn to protect – it’s deadly.”
Plans for a sea wall remain in the early stages and the Army Corps of Engineers is also looking at other options to safeguard New York.
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Mr Trump’s outburst came just months after announcing he is now a resident of Florida, a move the New York Times suggested was for tax purposes.
The publication said Florida, which does not have a state income tax or inheritance tax, “has long been a place for the wealthy to escape the higher taxes of the northeast”.
The president, who was born and brought up in the New York City borough of Queens, claimed in a tweet he had been “treated very badly” by political leaders in New York.
He said: “Despite the fact that I pay millions of dollars in city, state and local taxes each year … Few have been treated worse.”
Before taking political office, Mr Trump lived in New York, but since becoming president he has more often stayed at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Mr Blasio mocked Mr Trump’s relocation at the time, saying: “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out or whatever. Our deepest condolences to the good people of Florida as Trump attempts to outrun his past.”
