--- title: Donald Trump Once Called Climate Change Key Issue description: Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump called for strong measures to address climate change as recently as 2009 canonical: https://time.com/4362393/donald-trump-supported-addressing-climate-change-before-calling-it-a-hoax/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-06-09T11:48:59.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:46:06.181Z article:section: Politics og:title: Donald Trump Once Called Climate Change Key Issue og:description: Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump called for strong measures to address climate change as recently as 2009 og:url: https://time.com/4362393/donald-trump-supported-addressing-climate-change-before-calling-it-a-hoax/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt24ccb4952d356ea8/69889712e20a873585a9128a/donald-trump-climate-change-global-warming.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Donald Trump climate change global warming og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Donald Trump Once Called Climate Change Key Issue twitter:description: Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump called for strong measures to address climate change as recently as 2009 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt24ccb4952d356ea8/69889712e20a873585a9128a/donald-trump-climate-change-global-warming.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Donald Trump Supported Addressing Climate Change Before Calling It a 'Hoax' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=260f6635-ebd4-4fed-bd3a-7e25797dfcf7&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 85,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 37.0% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jun 9, 2016 11:48 AM UTC  U.S. Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses supporters and the media following primary elections on June 7, 2016 in Briarcliff Manor, New York. U.S. Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses supporters and the media following primary elections on June 7, 2016 in Briarcliff Manor, New York. John Moore—Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jun 9, 2016 11:48 AM UTC Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump called for strong measures to address climate change as recently as 2009—a position in direct conflict with his [numerous dismissals](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/jun/03/hillary-clinton/yes-donald-trump-did-call-climate-change-chinese-h/) of the issue as a “hoax.” Trump’s 2009 stance came in the form of an open letter to President Barack Obama and Congress published in the New York _Times_. The letter, first [reported](http://grist.org/politics/donald-trump-climate-action-new-york-times/) by Grist, was signed by Trump and other prominent business leaders in advance of the 2009 Copenhagen climate talks that most experts agree ended in failure. Trump’s children—Eric, Ivanka and Donald Jr.—all joined the letter as well. “We support your effort to ensure meaningful and effective measures to control climate change, an immediate challenge facing the United States and the world today,” the letter says. “Please allow us, the United States of America, to serve in modeling the change necessary to protect humanity and our planet.” Throughout the campaign Trump has challenged the urgency of addressing climate change using a variety of explanations from saying that the issue was “[created by and for the Chinese](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/265895292191248385?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw)” and that he believes climate change is [merely weather](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-global-warming%5Fus%5F5601d04fe4b08820d91aa753). His [energy policy proposals](http://time.com/4349309/donald-trump-bismarck-energy-speech/)—to the extent that he has any—suggest a similar view. He has promised to “cancel” the Paris Agreement to address climate change and to expand the use of coal. The letter is not the only inconsistency in Trump’s position on climate. The former reality TV star applied for a permit to [build a seawall](http://time.com/4345367/donald-trump-climate-change-golf-course/) to protect the Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Ireland from rising sea levels due to “global warming and its effects.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4362393/donald-trump-supported-addressing-climate-change-before-calling-it-a-hoax/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4362393/donald-trump-supported-addressing-climate-change-before-calling-it-a-hoax/"},"headline":"Donald Trump Supported Addressing Climate Change Before Calling It a 'Hoax'","datePublished":"2016-06-09T11:48:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:46:06.181Z","description":"It's not his first inconsistency on climate change","url":"https://time.com/4362393/donald-trump-supported-addressing-climate-change-before-calling-it-a-hoax/","keywords":["2016 Election","2016 Election","climate change"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt24ccb4952d356ea8/69889712e20a873585a9128a/donald-trump-climate-change-global-warming.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt24ccb4952d356ea8/69889712e20a873585a9128a/donald-trump-climate-change-global-warming.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Donald Trump climate change global warming","caption":"Donald Trump climate change global warming","creditText":"John Moore—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2016-election/","name":"2016 Election"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4362393/donald-trump-supported-addressing-climate-change-before-calling-it-a-hoax/","name":"Donald Trump Supported Addressing Climate Change Before Calling It a 'Hoax'"}}]}] ```