Washington Gov. Jay InsleeJay Robert InsleeInslee knocks Trump for wind turbine remarks Overnight Energy: Trump moves to speed up pipeline construction | House Dems urge Senate to reject Interior nominee | Dem offers plan for ‘filling in the blanks’ of Green New Deal Gillibrand’s CNN town hall attracts lowest rating among 2020 contenders MORE (D) took aim at President TrumpDonald John TrumpKoch network launches ad campaign opposing Trump’s proposed gas tax Trump laments EU ‘being so tough’ on Brexit Inslee knocks Trump for wind turbine remarks MORE during a CNN town hall on Wednesday over Trump’s claim that the noise from wind turbines causes cancer.
Inslee, who has centered his 2020 presidential campaign on the issue of climate change, remarked that wind turbines “cause jobs,” not cancer.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We know how dire this situation is,” Inslee said. “…[W]ind turbines don’t cause cancer, they cause jobs,” he continued, drawing laughter and applause from the audience.
Jay Inslee on combating climate change, which he has made the marquee issue of his campaign: “We know how dire this situation is … Wind turbines don’t cause cancer, they cause jobs.” #InsleeTownHall https://t.co/D7sd64Ohb9 pic.twitter.com/PM1zNzITZa
— CNN (@CNN) April 11, 2019
His remarks came in response to Trump’s claim made during a speech to the National Republican Congressional Committee’s spring dinner earlier this month, during which he claimed that “they say the noise [from wind turbines] causes cancer.”
Inslee has called for climate change to be the primary issue of the 2020 election, pointing to recent reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that claim the world has roughly a dozen years to get carbon emissions under control or risk major changes to the Earth’s climate.
“We are the first generation to feel the sting of climate change and we are the last generation that can do something about it. And we’ve got one shot and that’s the next administration,” he told CNN’s “State of the Union” last month.
“We have to have this be the primary, first, foremost and paramount duty of the next administration because the world’s on fire and we’ve got to act and we’ve got a climate denier in the White House,” Inslee added at the time.
Inslee faces a crowded field of contenders for the Democratic Party’s nomination, including high-profile candidates like Sens. Bernie SandersBernard (Bernie) SandersInslee knocks Trump for wind turbine remarks McConnell dismisses Medicare for All: Not while GOP controls Senate Buttigieg surges to third place in NH poll MORE (I-Vt.) and Kamala HarrisKamala Devi HarrisInslee knocks Trump for wind turbine remarks Buttigieg surges to third place in NH poll Overnight Health Care — Presented by PCMA — Sanders unveils new Medicare for all bill with backing from other 2020 Dems | White House slams Sanders’ rollout | Drugmakers, ‘middlemen’ point fingers on insulin pricing MORE (D-Calif.). Former Vice President Joe BidenJoseph (Joe) Robinette BidenInslee knocks Trump for wind turbine remarks Buttigieg surges to third place in NH poll Political reporter says young voters more likely than older voters to acknowledge cultural movements MORE is also widely expected to enter the race in the coming weeks.