Trump takes brief break from targeting trans rights to claim that sharks can eat plastic straws
Trump said he doesn’t think plastic straws will affect a shark as “they’re munching their way through the ocean” (Getty)
After signing several executive orders attacking the rights of trans people, US president Donald Trump is turning his attention to the really important issues impacting Americans: plastic straws.
The pro-plastic straw executive order, signed by the Republican president on Monday (10 February), repeals a measure implemented by Trump’s predecessor President Joe Biden to phase out single-use plastic including straws, cutlery and packaging across the federal government.
“We’re going back to plastic straws. These things don’t work,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
“I’ve had them many times and on occasion they break, they even 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,” he said, adding he does not believe plastic straws will affect a shark as “they’re munching their way through the ocean.”
The full order published on the White House’s website describes the roll back on plastic straws as an “irrational campaign” and labelled paper alternatives “nonfunctional” which “use chemicals that may carry risks to human health, are more expensive to produce than plastic straws, and often force users to use multiple straws.”
Since returning to office, Trump has signed a raft of executive orders concerning everything from immigration and foreign aid to education and so-called anti-Christian bias.
Many of these executive orders have attacked the LGBTQ+ community, largely the trans community.
Among the orders, Trump has declared the official policy of the United States is that there are “only two sexes”, banned trans people from serving in the military, barred trans women from female sports and restricted gender-affirming healthcare for trans people under the age 19, as well as eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes across the government and in the armed services.
The orders have been slammed by LGBTQ+ and human rights groups around the globe, as well as sparking protests in cities across the US.
Sarah Kate Ellis, the president and chief executive of GLAAD, responded by saying: “Our nation is fighting food and gas prices, wildfires that have killed dozens and left thousands displaced, and an epidemic of gun violence, yet President Trump is hyper-fixated only on harming LGBTQ+ Americans and other marginalised communities.
“Within hours of his swearing-in, he has marked his agenda of perpetuating fear and misunderstanding instead of addressing the actual problems Americans face.
“This administration seeks to intimidate us and to divide Americans but we have power in community. Together, we will continue to organise, to be visible and to resist any anti-LGBTQ and anti-American policies forced upon us.”
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