Trump named champion of ‘beautiful’ coal amid US non-renewable expansion

“Clean beautiful coal. We love clean, beautiful coal, don’t we?” This was the statement made by US President Donald Trump, shortly before an event in which mining executives in the White House named him the inaugural ‘Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal’. Multiple miners of the Washington Coal Club, a pro-coal advocacy group, looked on as Jim Grech, CEO of Peabody Energy, handed Trump a shiny bronze trophy.  

The award comes as no surprise, considering that under the Trump administration, the US has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement and seen coal production increase by four million tons a month.  

It is not unknown for Trump to be the first recipient of a new honour, and certainly not the first time that it has sparked outrage. He was awarded the Fifa Peace Prize during the World Cup Draw 2026 in a move fans online dubbed pathetic. Nevertheless, the recent award appears to be significantly more controversial.  

This is corruption, plain and simple. Old-fashioned, dirty political corruption

On the same day as the ceremony, climate leaders gathered outside the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters to condemn the plans to repeal the legal finding that underpins federal climate regulations. The 2009 Endangerment Finding has already been rescinded, which means engine and vehicle manufacturers no longer have future obligations for the measurement, control, and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions for highway engines and vehicles.  

With more controversial regulations on the horizon, the administration has defended the rollbacks, arguing that environmental protection can exist while boosting the economy, citing that it will save Americans $1.3 trillion, though there is no official reasoning for that figure, while EPA representatives claim it will instead cause trillions in damages. 

“This is corruption, plain and simple. Old-fashioned, dirty political corruption,” said Sheldon Whitehouse, Senator for Rhode Island. Considering this award and taking into context the coal industry’s $3.5 million contribution to Trump’s 2024 election campaign, the statement might have some merit to it as climate activists across the nation continue their protests against the sitting president.