Trump, Musk Challenge Plastic Ban In Climate Policy Debate

Photo: YouTube/Guardian feed.

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, DC – President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk are pushing back against federal efforts to curb plastic use, reigniting the debate over how best to address climate change and pollution.

On February 10, Trump signed an executive order reversing policies that promoted paper straws over plastic. “We’re going back to plastic straws. These things don’t work. I’ve had them many times, and on occasion, they break, they explode. If something’s hot, they don’t last very long. Like a matter of minutes. Sometimes a matter of seconds. It’s a ridiculous situation,” Trump said.

Musk, who has previously criticized plastic restrictions, supported Trump’s decision. In 2022, he posted on X, “Stop the war on straws!” and last August called paper straws “the worst.” After Trump’s announcement, Musk praised him as the “Greatest President ever.”

The move rolls back Biden administration efforts to phase out single-use plastics in federal operations, Fox News said. In July 2024, the White House announced a plan to reduce plastic use in food services and packaging by 2027 and eliminate it entirely from federal agencies by 2035, citing the “plastic pollution crisis.” The Department of Interior had also set a goal to cut plastics on public lands by 2032.