To: Interested Parties
From: Pete Maysmith, SVP of Campaigns, LCV Victory Fund
Date: June 27, 2024
Re: New Ad for the Presidential Debate and what we will be watching for

Ahead of the first Presidential debate tonight LCV Victory Fund is launching a new TV ad highlighting Trump’s attempt to make a corrupt “deal” with Big Oil. The ads will air on CNN in the Washington, D.C. market during the morning and primetime blocks in the days leading up to the debate and the day of the debate to spread awareness of how Trump has continued to put the interests of Big Oil and his own personal gain, ahead of the health and safety of Americans.

The ad’s narrator says: “The Washington Post just published a major story: ‘What Trump promised Oil CEO’s when he asked them for one billion dollars to his campaign.’ The answer? Trump will give Big Oil massive tax breaks, even though they’ve had their biggest profits in a decade. And they’ll write their own rules, so they can price gouge us at the pump. President Biden’s plan: Close the tax loopholes. End the price gouging. Stand up to Big Oil. LCV Victory Fund is responsible for the content of this ad.” Ad backup can be found here.

As extreme weather conditions intensify across the country, the choice could not be clearer this November. Over the past four years in office, President Biden has passed more than 300 environmental actions supporting environmental justice, conservation, and clean energy efforts solidifying him as the president who has made more climate progress than any other president. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump has made it clear both during his time in office and on the 2024 campaign trail that he intends to reverse the climate progress achieved by the Biden Administration, rolling back 100 environmental protections as President, calling global warming a “hoax”, and stating he would be a dictator on day one to “drill, drill, drill.”

What we will be watching for on Thursday night:

Trump has consistently said outlandish, fear-mongering lies about climate change and clean energy–if anything he has become increasingly unhinged. We expect him to continue to repeat misinformation as a tactic to side with Big Oil and distract from his horrendous record on the environment.

Meanwhile Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have amassed the strongest environmental record ever. We expect President Biden to tout this historic record in economic terms. Biden says “when I think about climate, I think about jobs.” Increasingly he is thinking about costs too, as legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure law are helping to lower costs, while Trump’s plans to eliminate cost-saving clean energy incentives and instead give tax breaks to the wealthiest, including Big Oil companies, will lead to higher costs for consumers.

Whether it’s on costs, jobs, or the impacts of climate change, Joe Biden beats Trump every time. Below is more on what we might hear:

Costs

In it for himself, Trump has aligned himself with special interests whose agenda is to keep costs high for consumers:

• Trump and Congressional Republicans have cozied up to Big Oil to keep their pockets lined and gas prices high. 
• In May, Trump met with Big Oil executives and asked them to give $1 billion to his campaign in exchange for rolling back climate actions that lower costs for consumers and benefit our communities, families and environment. Last week, LCV joined other environmental groups in sending a letter to debate moderators urging them to ask Trump about his “deal” with Big Oil.
• The same Big Oil executives have also been colluding with OPEC to keep gas prices high for consumers.
• Trump has promised to eliminate offshore wind projects and initiatives on day one, which would limit the expansion of clean power.
• Climate change is already contributing to the increase in prices of weekly groceries.
• Trump’s denial of the climate crisis, rollback of clean energy policies would only continue to drive prices of necessary goods higher for consumers.

Biden is lowering costs for consumers with affordable clean energy

• The Biden Administration policies can save families an average of $1,000 on energy bills. With additional savings through tax credits and rebates for zero emission vehicles, energy-saving home improvements including heat pumps, solar panels, and insulation.

Jobs

Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act has created hundreds of thousands of jobs

• The Inflation Reduction Act invests nearly $370 billion in expanding the clean energy economy.
• The IRA has created over 300,000 jobs building a clean energy future, and has increased the production of clean energy technologies like appliances, batteries and electric vehicles.
• Biden launched the American Climate Corps, which will employ more than 20,000 young people to help fight climate change.

Trump’s plan to reduce clean energy will cut jobs

• When Trump says he will get rid of clean energy incentives, like for offshore wind, he is talking about not only making electricity less affordable, he’s also talking about fewer jobs. Trump and Congressional Republicans are actively trying to dismantle the Inflation Reduction Act, which has increased good-paying jobs for Americans across the country.

Climate

With extreme weather conditions rapidly spreading nationwide, from record temperatures, heatwaves, flooding, major storms and wildfires, it will be important to see how Trump addresses the climate crisis and those suffering from unsafe conditions given his stance on climate change and global warming. These conditions are not natural and are actually a symptom of excessive pollution from Trump’s allies like Big Oil and Gas CEOs.

Trump is a climate denier who has repeatedly denied the climate crisis

• During his administration, Trump scrubbed mention of climate change from government websites and manipulated scientific reports to exclude the worst impacts of climate change.
• Trump has repeatedly made claims that climate change is a “con” and called renewable energy a “scam business.”
• In his first year as president, Trump rejected the 2015 Paris agreement, which was designed to address climate change and limit global warming.

Biden is keeping his promise and has made more environmental progress than any president

• Biden has been an aggressive climate champion and has urged other world leaders to take similar actions to combat the climate crisis.
• Biden created the American Climate Corps to give young people the tools and resources necessary to continue fighting for climate change and environmental justice.
• The Biden Administration has passed hundreds of environmental protections, including actions conserving 41 million acres of sacred lands, the western arctic and waters across the country.

For more information on Trump’s terrible environmental record, go here and here.

In March, LCV Victory Fund announced its largest investment ever in the 2024 election cycle, investing $120 million in the Presidential and Congressional elections, support for state affiliates’ work in state and local elections, and other programs.

Paid for by LCV Victory Fund, www.lcvvictoryfund.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.