Trump tells mayor of island literally sinking into the ocean ‘not to worry about sea level rise’

President Donald Trump’s supporters have been the subject of countless stories just since election day on the fact that they seemingly “vote against their economic interests.” But few stories note that they voted against their existential interests as well.

Trump’s refusal to accept the scientific consensus on the reality and urgency of climate change poses a serious threat to communities across the U.S. currently grappling with its effects. The latest example involves a tiny island, Tangier, that voted overwhelmingly for the president and its mayor, a vocal Trump supporter.

Tangier is an island in the Chesapeake Bay so low-lying that a mere 83 acres can support its inhabitants. The island is vanishing so rapidly that “the Army Corps of Engineers says that erosion and sea level rise alone will make this historic crabbing community uninhabitable in as little as 20 years.”

Trump called a shocked Mayor Eskridge, who said the president explained he “had to call” such a strong supporter. Trump added, “You’ve got one heck of an island there.”

The subject of the call then turned to the island’s fate. Trump “said not to worry about sea-level rise,” Eskridge explained. “He said, ‘Your island has been there for hundreds of years, and I believe your island will be there for hundreds more.’”

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