Oh good god, Trump thinks climate change is a matter of local clean air and water.

I am glad that my friend @EmmanuelMacron and the protestors in Paris have agreed with the conclusion I reached two years ago. The Paris Agreement is fatally flawed because it raises the price of energy for responsible countries while whitewashing some of the worst polluters….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2018

….in the world. I want clean air and clean water and have been making great strides in improving America’s environment. But American taxpayers – and American workers – shouldn’t pay to clean up others countries’ pollution.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2018

He’s telling us he wants clean air … Read the rest

David Graham at the Atlantic on Trump’s history lesson:

“I said, ‘When was Andrew Jackson?’ It was 1828, that’s a long time ago, that was Andrew Jackson,” Trump said, a sign that the history to follow would be somewhat shaky. Reminiscing about a visit to Tennessee in March, Trump continued:

I mean had Andrew Jackson been a little later you wouldn’t have had the Civil War. He was a very tough person, but he had a big heart. He was really angry that he saw what was happening with regard to the Civil War, he said, “There’s no reason for this.” People don’t realize, you know, the Civil War, if you think about it, why? People don’t ask that

Some tweets on the president of the US’s ignorance of the history of the US.

The Civil War is literally the #1 trending topic bc the sitting US president doesn't understand why it happened.

This is our hell.

— Patrick Quaife (@pquaife) May 1, 2017

https://twitter.com/HITEXECUTIVE/status/859077289320996864

"People don't ask that question, but why was there a Civil War?" – President Trump

You need to be asked this question to be a U.S. citizen pic.twitter.com/A9bl8JQKsX

— Gene Park (@GenePark) May 1, 2017

"What caused the Civil War?"

Bannon: The Jews!

Sessions: The blacks!

Pence: No! It was the gays!

DeVos: Guys, it was definitely bears.

— The Volatile Mermaid (@OhNoSheTwitnt) May 1, 2017

https://twitter.com/darth/status/859034994143973376

Updating to add Brad Jaffy’s audio clip … Read the rest

I still say we need better filters. I still say a head of state should know some basics before being allowed to touch the controls. I still say one of those basics should be some knowledge of the history of the state in question.

Behold the current occupant of the US one:

President Donald Trump is causing an uproar again this morning after a bizarre interview where he praised President Andrew Jackson and questioned the reason behind the Civil War. His remarks were from a radio conversation with Sirius XM’s Salena Zito on Monday morning.

“I mean had Andrew Jackson been a little later you wouldn’t have had the Civil War. He was a really tough person, but he