Trump Trolled for Saying He Likes Climate Change Because It ‘Means Having More Beachfront Property’

Former President Donald Trump received a ton of ridicule on social media for his ignorant behavior when he categorically downplayed the threat posed by climate change and described the rising sea levels brought on by climate change as a potential real estate investment. The now-convicted felon was chatting with hosts Will Cain, Rachel Campos Duffy, and Pete Hegseth during an appearance on Fox & Friends when he made the shocking claim, per PoliticusUSA.

"The single biggest threat, not global warming, when they say that the seas will rise over the next 400 years, one eighth of an inch, you know, which means basically have a little more beachfront property," he said of climate change, sparking laughter from the program's trio of hosts. "Okay. Think of it. The seas are going to rise. Who knows?"

Trump's bizarre claim earned him a lot of mockery on social media, who fact-checked his claim, saying there won't be any beachfront property as a result of the sea level rise but catastrophic flooding. "He doesn’t even understand geometry. Higher sea levels = less land = less beach. And you want to give this guy the nuclear codes?" a user mocked. Another user, with laughing emojis, trolled, "I can’t with this idiot. I support climate change followed by, you have more beach front property. No, idiot. It means MARALAGO is under water and you’re living in a raft."

Another user slammed the former President by tweeting, "Here we go again, Trump speaking on a subject he knows absolutely nothing about. Someone PLEASE tell him, that when sea levels rise; erosion occurs and beaches decrease in size, they do not expand." Someone else trashed the real estate mogul as well: "Thinking that sea levels rising creates more beachfront property is like thinking the way to fix a flat is to rotate your tires."

A different user took a shot at Trump's mental acuity, saying, "For those of us who aren't actively dementing, RISING sea levels would result in LESS beach / beachfront property." A user mocked, "Fun fact Mar a lago, surrounded by water on 3 sides on the Florida coast, would be totally washed away by the storm surge if a big hurricane hit at high tide. Let’s see what karma has in store this summer."

In addition to failing to realize that more sea will imply less land would be available—and hence, less property—Trump was also incorrect in his prediction that sea levels would rise an eighth of an inch in 400 years. NASA and other scientific organizations estimate that ocean levels are increasing by around an eighth of an inch every year. Since global statistics have been kept in 1850, last year was the warmest year ever recorded on Earth. As temperatures rise, sea levels rise, and extreme weather patterns occur, by 2050, there will be fatalities and annual losses estimated at $38 trillion, according to a recent analysis from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.