Former President Donald Trump, barely a month back in office, has reversed several Biden-era policies, including revoking Joe Biden’s security clearance.
In another move against his predecessor, Trump vowed to overturn the Biden administration’s plan to phase out single-use plastics.
Announced last summer, the initiative aimed to eliminate plastic straws, bottles, and cutlery from federal operations by 2035 to combat plastic pollution.
Trump dismissed the policy as “ridiculous,” announcing on Truth Social that he would sign an executive order restoring plastic straws.
“BACK TO PLASTIC!” he declared, criticizing paper straws as ineffective.
This isn’t the first time Trump has opposed such bans—he previously mocked paper straws in 2020, saying they “disintegrate as you drink.”
Environmental concerns appear low on Trump’s agenda. Early in his presidency,
he promoted oil and gas drilling in Alaska and withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement, signaling a shift away from Biden’s climate policies.
In a bold series of moves just over a month into his return to office, former President Donald Trump has wasted no time in reversing several key policies put in place by his predecessor, Joe Biden.
Among the most high-profile decisions, Trump has revoked Biden’s security clearance, a move seen as an immediate challenge to his former rival. This action marks a significant step in Trump’s attempts to dismantle policies he believes undermine American interests, signaling the beginning of a new political era that diverges sharply from Biden’s approach.
In another confrontation with the Biden administration’s environmental agenda, Trump has vowed to overturn the plan to phase out single-use plastics, which was introduced last summer. The initiative, aimed at eliminating plastic straws, bottles, and cutlery from federal operations by 2035, sought to reduce the environmental toll of plastic pollution. Trump has sharply criticized this policy as “ridiculous,” taking to Truth Social to announce that he would sign an executive order restoring plastic straws to federal operations.
“BACK TO PLASTIC!” Trump declared, further mocking the Biden-backed paper straws, which he had previously criticized during his 2020 campaign for their inability to withstand liquids, claiming they “disintegrate as you drink.”
Environmental concerns appear to take a backseat in Trump’s current agenda. His opposition to Biden’s climate policies is not new; early in his presidency, Trump promoted increased oil and gas drilling in Alaska and pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement, a clear rejection of Biden’s commitment to international environmental cooperation.
As Trump continues to shape the direction of his administration, the political divide over climate action and environmental policies remains as wide as ever. Environmentalists and Democratic leaders have already expressed outrage over the potential consequences of Trump’s reversal on plastic bans, while his supporters praise his stance on returning to what they see as practical, pro-business solutions.
The coming months will likely see more clashes between the Trump administration and Biden’s policies, as the former president seeks to solidify his vision of governance.
