Did Trump Lie About Florida No-Drilling "Order"?

"It’s not the first time the president has boasted about a formal directive he never actually gave."

"Florida’s coastal waters are safe from any future offshore oil and gas development, President Donald Trump boasted in an interview with Spectrum News last week.

“We’re not gonna be drilling, and I’ve already put out that order ― actually quite a while ago,” he said when asked if he could commit to not drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. “We can’t do that. And the people of Florida just don’t want it. You know, there are some states that don’t mind it, but Florida does. And I live here too, and I vote here. And I will tell you, that’s not going to be happening.”

Aside from the hypocrisy of proposing to open nearly all U.S. waters to fossil fuel development while declaring “not in my backyard” for Florida, the “order” Trump claims to have put out appears to be a figment of his imagination.

Trump has issued no such order, but it’s not the first time he’s touted a seemingly nonexistent decree."

Chris D’Angelo reports for HuffPost August 6, 2020.

Source: HuffPost, 08/10/2020