When challenged to explain why he has been unable to fulfill a campaign promise to crack down on drilling for oil and gas, President Joe Biden said the courts stormed in and ruined his plans.
Stephanie Abrams, a meteorologist for The Weather Channel, asked the question during one of Biden’s rare sit-down interviews, this one taking place at the Grand Canyon.
“Let’s talk Gen Z, because they’re going to play a big role in the next presidential election, and many of them are angry about the 7,000 oil and gas permits you approved since you’ve been in office,” Abrams said. “You promised no new drilling on federal land or offshore. Can you tell Gen Z that you haven’t broken your promise?”
Biden, who is running a 2024 re-election campaign, replied, “Yes, because the courts overruled me. The courts said I couldn’t do it. I wanted to stop all drilling on the East Coast and the West Coast and in the Gulf. But I lost in court. But we’re still pushing — we’re still pushing really very hard!”
"You promised no new drilling on federal land or offshore. Can you tell Gen Z that you haven't broken your promise?"
BIDEN: "I wanted to stop ALL drilling … but I lost in court! But we're still pushing really very hard!" pic.twitter.com/cvnK1d819g
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 9, 2023
Indeed, as noted by The New York Times last month, Biden’s administration has been “compelled” by federal court decisions to continue selling drilling leases — outpacing the Trump administration during the same duration of time and leading to major oil and gas companies notching record profits in 2022.
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Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the pro-Trump super PAC Make America Great Again Inc., argued Biden’s comments about drilling could damage him politically ahead of a potential general election rematch against former President Donald Trump.
“How long until the White House walks back this radical position to save face for the general election?” she said in a post to X. “But Biden said it — he wants to stop ALL drilling, kill ALL energy jobs, and increase prices for ALL Americans. If he has 4 more years, he will! We need Trump!”
WEDNESDAY:@StephanieAbrams sits down for an exclusive interview with @POTUS to discuss our changing planet. Join us on air and on our TV app: https://t.co/Feaf8zT3Ip pic.twitter.com/3cFrsfVy6I
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) August 9, 2023
Biden also insisted that the private sector is “coming off the sidelines” by investing in renewable energy.
“They’ve invested $250 billion in alternative energy. They’re building solar facilities. They’re building — there’s electrolyzers to take hydrogen and turn it — I mean there’s so much going on. Finally, finally, no one can any longer deny that we don’t have a problem with climate change.”
The interview comes after a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll found 57% percent of Americans disapprove of Biden’s handling of climate change.