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President Trump signs executive orders appealing Biden regulations
Fox - 5 DC / VideoElephant
After US president Donald Trump triggered an economic crisis by slapping tariffs on global trade – including on remote islands near Antarctica where there are no human inhabitants, only to then hit pause on them a short while later, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to claim the Republican is “uninformed”.
And that’s before video emerged of an official having to explain to Trump what he was signing and putting his name to, and what the previous administration led by Joe Biden – which he repeatedly criticised – did on the issue.
In the Oval Office on Friday, the male aide told the US president about House Joint Resolution 24, pertaining to the disapplication of “energy conservation standards for walk-in coolers and walk-in freezers”, which was ready for him to sign prior to becoming law.
He said: “This is the same basic idea, but this relates to walk-in coolers and freezers, and other refrigeration devices. Again, last-minute Biden era regulation that hits ordinary Americans.”
Trump then asked: “And what did they do?”
A female official then stepped in: “They put in the energy efficiency requirements for walk-in coolers and freezers, and therefore putting an undue burden on businesses across the country. Everything from restaurants to pharmacies, hospitals…”
“In other words, it made the restrictions so strong that it didn’t work,” Trump replied.
The aide continued: “And it was going to cost them so much money to actually meet the energy efficiency standards, which didn’t really save much money. So this is going to actually help our small businesses across the country.”
Letting out an “alright”, the president then signed the resolution.
However, the conversation has since led to social media users expressing concern that Trump has “no idea what he’s signing and has to have it explained to him”:
Another branded him “the ‘I don’t know’ president”:
Then there were those who saw it as an opportunity to turn Trump’s attack lines on Biden against him, including his accusations – made without evidence - that his predecessor used an autopen to sign legislation:
One quipped that the situation was “elder abuse”, referencing the criticism levelled at Biden during the presidential election campaign (prior to him stepping aside and letting Kamala Harris take the Democratic nomination):
And there were also fears around what could happen next:
Trump supporters, meanwhile, insist the explanation was actually "for the cameras" and reporters in the room:
It’s not the first time Trump has shocked people with comments suggesting he needs to brush up on his understanding of the presidency, as earlier this month he told NBC’s Meet the Press that he ‘doesn’t know’ if he needs to uphold the US constitution while in the top job.
Yes, really.
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