Scientists Bump Up Doomsday Clock Now That Trump’s in Office
Atomic scientists bumped their doomsday clock forward once Donald Trump was sworn in as president of the United States.
In 2016, the Science and Security Board Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists kept their Doomsday Clock, which allegedly counts down to the end of the world, at three minutes to midnight.
With President Trump in office, they bumped it ahead 30 seconds, claiming two-and-a-half minutes until midnight.
“This already-threatening world situation was the backdrop for a rise in strident nationalism worldwide in 2016, including in a U.S. presidential campaign during which the eventual victor, Donald Trump, made disturbing comments about the use and proliferation of nuclear weapons and expressed disbelief in the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change,” according to their most recent news bulletin.
The bulletin continued: “The board’s decision to move the clock less than a full minute—something it has never before done— reflects a simple reality: As this statement is issued, Donald Trump has been the U.S. president only a matter of days. Many of his Cabinet nominations are not yet confirmed by the Senate or installed in government, and he has had little time to take official action.”
In one of his first acts in office, Trump had his administration purge the White House site, among other government sites, of climate change information.
“We’ve talked about that for a few months now—Obamacare, the fight against ISIS, he talked about immigration, key issues that have been important to him throughout the campaign that will continue to be important to him throughout this administration,” Press Secretary Sean Spicer said in a briefing. {eoa}
