Ivanka Trump.Photo: Manuel Medir/Getty
A simple retweet on Thursday fromIvanka Trump, the president’s eldest daughter and senior adviser, led to small wave of criticism against her on Twitter as other users were quick to note that an administration labeling itself a “driver for science” has in fact been far from that.
“For the past two years, the Trump Administration has been an active and meaningful driver for science and technology policy in America,” the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)tweeted on Thursday.
In a characteristically dismissive reply,one user wrote, “BWAHAHAHAHAHA Oh wait, Your serious??”
Anotherwrote, “The ocean is rising to meet this ridiculous claim.”
Saida third: “Is it April 1 [April Fool’s Day] already?”
Last June, the paper reported, “The lack of traditional scientific advisory leadership in the White House is one example of a significant change in the Trump administration: the marginalization of science in shaping United States policy.”
Both the departments of state and agriculture were without top scientists and other agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, had broken up advisory groups on climate science, according to theTimes.
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“I don’t think there’s ever been a time in the post-World War II period where issues as important as nuclear weapons are on the table, and there is no serious scientist there to help the president through the thicket,” Princeton University professor Michael Oppenheimer told the paper. “This reverberates throughout policy.”
(The White House declined to comment at the time.)
In August, the president named Kelvin Droegemeier as his top scientist, filling a vacancy that had been vacant for a historically long time,according to theTimes.
Droegemeier was hailed then as “an excellent choice — a highly qualified scientist,” theTimesreported.
But, said an adviser on space exploration under PresidentBarack Obama: “The real question is, will he be listened to?”
The president, however,has more often made jokes about global warming, to the dismay of the scientific community.
On Thursday, the White House OSTP released its report“Science & Technology Highlights in the Second Year of the Trump Administration.”Among other achievements the report pointed to work expanding mobile networks such as 5G and advanced manufacturing strategies and “reviving” nuclear energy.
Neither climate change nor global warming were mentioned.
source: people.com
