Editorial: Sidelining science: Donald Trump undermines fight against virus, wildfires and more

Look to the south and see Americans in Gulf Coast states preparing for Hurricane Sally. Look further north and see glaciers melting. Look west and see wildfires raging across multiple states, destroying property and taking lives.

And tri-state residents? Just look straight up, take note of the strange overcast sky glowing yellow, residue of ash traveling eastward 3,000 miles.

Yet on this building evidence of climate change wreaking havoc and on a whole host of other life-and-death matters, President Trump cannot or will not bring himself to face scientific fact. Good reason to deny him another term.

Monday, in conversation with California’s secretary for natural resources, Trump shrugged off accepted meteorological findings about climate change, “Well, I don’t think science knows, actually.”

Trump political appointees have meddled with CDC coronavirus data, while the president has acted as an infomercial hawker on hydroxychloroquine and convalescent plasma rather than following the evidence.

Trump has given his appointees power to interfere with career government researchers, so as to ease the unraveling of environmental protections.

He has invented scientific conclusions about energy sources he dislikes; sidelined scientists on air pollution regulations; kneecapped advisory panels when they didn’t toe the Trump line; and canceled or suppressed researchers’ studies when their likely conclusions didn’t line up with his politics.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist or climate scientist or physicist or biologist to know that a man who so consistently disrespects scientific experts has no business running the country.