Trump Orders Pentagon to Invest in “Beautiful, Clean” Coal Power

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at sustaining the United States’ coal industry through federal funding, directing the Pentagon to purchase electricity from coal plants, Matthew Glasser, Daniel Peck, and Leah Sarnoff reported for ABC News.

The event featured Trump receiving the “Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal” award from the Washington Coal Club in recognition of his advocacy for coal power. (Photo: The White House)

Trump, joined by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, and a group of coal executives and hard-hat-wearing miners, touted coal as America’s most reliable and affordable energy source during what the White House dubbed “The Champion of Coal Event.”

“The most important people here today are those who get their hands a little bit dirty to keep America running at full speed,” Trump said.

Trump has long promoted domestic coal production, calling it “the most reliable and dependable” form of energy the country has. During his remarks, the president joked that his administration has forbidden the use of the word “coal” without adding the words “beautiful, clean” before it.

The event featured Trump receiving the “Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal” award from the Washington Coal Club in recognition of his advocacy for coal power.

While Trump touts “beautiful, clean coal,” ABC News noted that critics argue no such thing exists.