I'm pretty sure some readers looked at my cartoon today and, for at least a few seconds, thought, "Now Trump wants to revive the whale oil industry?"

In the madcap MAGA era, it is very hard for a political cartoonist to employ exaggeration as a tool. Political reality is now so surreal that it is tough to come up with a bit of satire that can exceed that weirdness. But I had to try.

No, Trump is not bringing back whale oil as an energy source -- at least not yet -- but he is doing all he can to promote fossil fuels -- including the 19th century's favorite and dirtiest, coal -- while seriously undermining development of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar.

A month ago, the president delivered a meandering, overly long speech at the United Nations in which he berated Europeans for turning to renewable energy. He asserted that the "double-tailed monster" of energy and immigration was destroying Europe and that only fossil fuels could save them.

"You need strong borders and traditional energy sources if you're going to be great again," Trump declared.

Trump, America's most notorious con man, told the UN General Assembly that climate change science was "the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world" concocted by scientists who were "stupid people."

What is truly, deeply stupid is Trump's unilateral surrender to China on energy. While the Trump administration is slashing billions and billions of dollars of funding for renewable energy programs in the USA, China has taken the lead in developing the energy sources of the future, wind and solar.

Thus, while China and Europe are living in the 21st century, Trump is dragging America back to the energy plan of 1925. So, why would he stop there? Why not dial it back to 1825 and bring on the whale oil?

See more of David Horsey's cartoons at: st.news/davidhorsey

View other syndicated cartoonists at: st.news/cartoons

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Trump, the whale oil salesman