Donald Trump rails against ‘ridiculous Biden push’ for paper straws
Having already signed a slew of executive orders since taking office, United States President Donald Trump will soon turn his focus onto an enduring bugbear of his: paper straws.
In a post over social media platform Truth Social on Friday (7 Feb), The billionaire said he will sign an Executive Order to bring back plastic straws.
Source: The Fatu Network on Facebook
Trump wants to go back to plastic straws
In the post, Mr Trump promised that the order would be signed next week.
He aimed to go “back to plastic” and end “the ridiculous Biden push for paper straws”.
Source: Donald J. Trump on Truth Social
As justification for this, he said paper straws “don’t work”.
A paper straw disintegrates as you drink it, says Trump
Mr Trump made his disdain for paper straws known during his first term as president, when he told reporters in 2019:
I do think we have bigger problems than plastic straws.
While people focus on plastic straws, he was quoted by Reuters as saying, “What about the plates, the wrappers, and everything else that are much bigger and they’re made of the same material?”
Source: FlyD on Unsplash
At the same time, his online store launched packs of plastic straws with his name on them, with his campaign saying,
Much like most liberal ideas, paper straws don’t work and they fall apart instantly.
He doubled down on his views during a campaign rally speech in 2020, where he said paper straws weren’t “working too good”, to a chorus of agreement from the crowd.
Source: The Independent on YouTube
He’s dined at fast-food establishments and pointed out that while plastic straws weren’t allowed, other items like plates, knives and spoons were also made of plastic.
He lamented that a paper straw “disintegrates as you drink it”, adding:
By the time you finish, the straw is totally disintegrated.
Biden administration aimed to end plastic pollution
In contrast, former President Joe Biden’s administration announced action to end global plastic pollution in July 2024, releasing a government-wide strategy to target plastic pollution at production, processing, use and disposal.
It aimed to phase out federal procurement of single-use plastics from food service operations, events, and packaging by 2027, and from all federal operations by 2035.
In November, the US Environmental Protection Agency released the National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution, detailing what actions organisations including government agencies can take.
One of its strategies was to reduce the production and consumption of single-use plastic products.
With Mr Trump’s latest order, these efforts stand to be undone just months after taking shape.
Many S’pore establishments have stopped using plastic straws
In Singapore, many F&B establishments have stopped using plastic straws, replacing them with paper or doing away with straws altogether.
Source: Meghan Rodgers on Unsplash
Starbucks started doing this as early as 2018, with KFC eliminating plastic in 2019 and other fast-food chains soon following suit.
McDonald’s held out until 2021, when it finally introduced its now-widespread sippy lids for its cold beverages.
While many agreed with the move, others pointed out, quite correctly, that the sippy lid is still made of plastic.
Source: Facebook
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Featured image adapted from The Fatu Network on Facebook and FlyD on Unsplash.
