A few weeks ago, socialite Kylie Jenner got “climate shamed” on social media after she published an Instagram post with a picture of herself and her sometime-partner Travis Scott, along with their private jets. Jenner’s caption to the post, “you wanna take mine or yours?” received torrents of criticism for its poor taste.
But for sheer chutzpah, people should look to Washington, not Hollywood, when it comes to climate hypocrisy. Over the last year, the middle class has gotten punched in the teeth when it comes to energy policy, with gasoline prices still nearly double the roughly $2.31-per-gallon mark from when President Trump left office, and home heating prices soaring too. The increases come in no small part because Democrats believe in leaving American energy buried in the ground to appease leftist activists outraged about the “climate crisis.”
Even as Democrats in Congress prepare a massive tax-and-spending binge full of “green energy” pork to address this “crisis,” their putative leader, Joe Biden, acts like a jet-setter when it comes to his own lifestyle. Biden’s actions demonstrate not just that he has no intention of practicing what he preaches, but that he’s perfectly content to let working families suffer, while indulging in his own desire for luxury and comfort.
‘Crisis—What Climate Crisis?’
Consider some of the first acts Biden took after leaving office as vice president in 2017. Upon signing a book deal, he used the proceeds to increase his real estate portfolio. On top of the mansion he already owned in Wilmington, Delaware, he bought a nearly 5,000 square foot “beach house” in Rehoboth Beach.
When asked about the purchase, Biden told a local paper that the move had fulfilled a lifelong dream to own a beach house. Apparently, solving the “climate crisis” took a backseat to buying another mansion—and increasing his carbon footprint in the process.
In addition to the Wilmington estate and his Rehoboth “beach house,” Biden also rented a mansion outside Washington upon leaving the vice presidency. That palace boasts nearly 12,000 square feet of living space—one-third larger than the vice president’s residence Biden left. It also includes parking for more than 20 cars—making the home not very eco-friendly—a gym, a sauna, chandeliers in the entrance lobby, and a grand piano in a music room/parlor.
Take a look at a picture of the house from Zillow and ask yourself: Does the person who lives here look like someone who cares a lot about the “climate crisis”?
Jetting to Wilmington and Rehoboth
Having spent money acquiring a real estate portfolio, Biden now spends much of his time using taxpayers’ money flying around to visit it.
While Jenner drew attacks for taking flights on her jet for minor excursions as short as 17 minutes, Biden’s slightly longer flights home to Delaware occur nearly as frequently. In 2021 alone, Biden took 31 trips back to Delaware—and a further 12 trips to Camp David, the official presidential retreat in Maryland.
One of the stories discussing Jenner’s controversial post noted that “in one hour, a single private jet can emit two tons of carbon dioxide.” But as a specially modified Boeing 747, Air Force One must emit many more tons of toxic fumes than the smaller jets that celebrities like Jenner frequent.
For security reasons, the President of the United States obviously can’t fly on commercial airlines. But is it asking too much for someone who complains of a “climate crisis”—and says the federal government must raise taxes to fund a bunch of pork-barrel climate spending to address this “crisis”—to perhaps not spend every weekend flying around in a massively polluting (not to mention taxpayer-funded) Boeing 747?
After all, taxpayers already provide Mr. Biden with lodging in a large, not to mention historic, mansion. The White House includes its own tennis court, putting green, bowling alley, and plenty of room for Mr. Biden to “ride” his bike well away from the prying eyes of the press. What more could the man want?
It’s Not About Climate, It’s About Control
One comment on Jenner’s Instagram post hit the nail on the head: “Why do I limit my meat consumption and use paper straws while the 1% gets to pump tons of carbon into the atmosphere for a day trip to Palm Springs?” Substitute “Wilmington” or “Rehoboth Beach” for Palm Springs, and you have Joe Biden’s behavior—and example—in a nutshell.
In many respects, the answer is as simple as it is infuriating: Lefty politicians, just like lefty celebrities, think they’re better than you, and don’t have to follow the rules they set out for others. They want others (meaning you) to pay the price for their climate “sins.” And climate groups have shown themselves willing to play along, and give Biden a pass for his hypocritical example, so long as he enacts the policies they want.
But the fact that the left has little interest in practicing what it preaches shows that the “climate crisis” isn’t really about climate; it’s a grab for power. As Rahm Emanuel famously noted, “You never let a serious crisis go to waste.” That’s why the left dubs anything and everything a “crisis”—because to them, “crisis” functions as code for “government power grab.”
Make Biden Practice What He Preaches
Some smart conservative offices should offer an amendment during the Senate vote-a-rama on the Democrat tax-and-spending bill that would prohibit the use of taxpayer funds for these emissions-producing weekend flights to Delaware for the First Couple. If the “climate crisis” is as bad as Democrats claim it is, then all 100 senators should readily agree to this common-sense provision.
If, on the other hand, Democrats vote down this type of measure, it would reinforce the fact that these lawmakers have no interest in holding themselves to the same standards and restrictions as mere mortals like you and I. And that’s something to think about the next time you’re at the pump, paying an outrageously high price for gas under this president.
