Critics Dub Donald Trump A 'Drought Truther'

Critics say drought deniers are the latest kind of “truther,” rejecting science in favor of a theory that California’s water challenges have been exaggerated.

The target of these criticisms is presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, who declared during a visit to California last month: “There is no drought.”

Huffington Post food and water reporter Joseph Erbentraut said these remarks “might be the most high-profile example of drought trutherism yet” and questioned the potential impact of Trump’s claims.

“Could Trump, who has described climate change as a ‘man-made’ ‘hoax’ despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, help spur a new breed of drought deniers?” he wrote.

It would not be the first time Trump championed a conspiracy theory. In 2011, he was vocal about calling for President Obama to release his birth certificate to prove he is an American citizen.

At least one analyst doubted that Trump’s remarks will spark a drought-denial movement.

Peter Gleick, a water and climate analyst and co-founder of the Pacific Institute, predicted that Trump’s drought views will be seen as “nonsense.” Gleick did not see much possibility of drought denial reaching the scale of climate change denial.

“Even climate deniers have trouble denying drought when they see parched hills, empty reservoirs, dying salmon, dead forests and blistering hot weather,” Gleick said, per the report.

FactCheck.org, a nonpartisan, nonprofit analysis website, assessed Trump’s claims about the drought and found they do not hold water.

During a speech in California, Trump sounded off against environmental laws protecting fish. He said water is being sent “out to sea” to protect a “three-inch fish.”

“If I win, believe me, we’re going to start opening up the water so that you can have your farmers survive, so that your job market will get better,” Trump said, per the Los Angeles Times.

But according to FactCheck.org, Trump’s characterization of these policies is “misleading.”

“Officials release fresh water from reservoirs primarily to prevent salt water from contaminating agricultural and urban water supplies,” the website said. “California’s water issues can’t be reduced to the preservation of a threatened fish species. Experts told us water management practices, the state’s natural climate and global warming have all contributed to the state’s current drought and water issues.”

At his Fresno rally, however, Trump had plenty of support. Many attendees were holding “farmers for Trump” signs, according to BuzzFeed. And one critic said there are some broad points Trump stated correctly.

“There is no existential shortage of water in the state, not at all. What there is is misallocation of water and that misallocation is because water is incorrectly priced there. The solution therefore is to get the pricing right: then the allocation will be. We also know something more about this: it doesn’t matter what the current or original allocations are. Getting the price right will solve the problem. So, he’s not being quite as stupid as some people think he is,” said Tim Worstall, a op-ed contributor for Forbes.

To read more about the Western drought visit Water Online’s Water Scarcity Solutions Center.