On Wednesday, Germany’s Foreign Ministry delivered a brutal fact-check of Trump’s false debate claim that the country had reneged on its push to promote renewable energy sources.
During Tuesday’s presidential debate with Kamala Harris, Trump claimed:
You believe in things like ‘We’re not going to frack, we’re not going to take fossil fuel.’ … Germany tried that, and within one year, they were back to building normal energy plants.
As with many Trump claims, this one could have been cleared up with a simple Google search. After Russia throttled its gas supply to Germany after invading Ukraine, Germany had to increase its use of coal-fired power plants to shore up its energy supply. But the country didn’t — and hasn’t — abandoned its investment in renewable energy as Trump suggested. In fact, Russia’s war has led Germany to hasten its investment.
As with many Trump claims, this one could have been cleared up with a simple Google search.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry tried to correct the record in a post on X that also referred to Trump’s racist lie about Haitian immigrants eating people’s pets.
“Like it or not: Germany’s energy system is fully operational, with more than 50% renewables,” the agency wrote on its English-language X account. “And we are shutting down — not building — coal & nuclear plants. Coal will be off the grid by 2038 at the latest. PS: We also don’t eat cats and dogs. #Debate2024.”
Like it or not: Germany’s energy system is fully operational, with more than 50% renewables. And we are shutting down – not building – coal & nuclear plants. Coal will be off the grid by 2038 at the latest. PS: We also don’t eat cats and dogs. #Debate2024 pic.twitter.com/PiDO98Vxfo
— GermanForeignOffice (@GermanyDiplo) September 11, 2024
When Harris told Trump at the debate that world leaders laugh at him, I imagine this is the type of mockery she was talking about.
When Harris told Trump at the debate that world leaders laugh at him, I imagine this is the type of mockery she was talking about.
As The Washington Post noted, a spokesperson for Germany’s Economic Affairs and Climate Action Ministry said Wednesday that he was “quite surprised” by Trump’s claim that Germany had returned to “building normal energy plants,” adding: “I don’t know what the presidential candidate means by that.”
From his bizarre diatribes about wind power to his idiocy about rising sea levels, Trump’s environmental ignorance has been in the spotlight this election cycle. That he’s receiving public corrections from the German government comes as no surprise here.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.