Op-Ed: Big ethanol buys ‘Fox and Friends’ airtime to stroke Trump’s ego ahead of RFS meeting

Source: By Philip Wegmann, Washington Examiner • Posted: Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Fuels America, a biofuel interest group, bought air time thanking President Trump ahead of its Tuesday meeting with him to discuss the Renewable Fuels Standard. (screenshot)

Fuels America, a biofuel interest group, bought air time thanking President Trump ahead of its Tuesday meeting with him to discuss the Renewable Fuels Standard. (screenshot)

What’s the best way to get President Trump’s attention? Buy a 30-second advertising block during “Fox and Friends.” After a year of the reality-television presidency, this practice has become standard issue. View here, https://youtu.be/YxB95fawMfk

The latest special interest trying to peak presidential interest is Fuels America. As Politico first noted, the biofuel interest group bought air time buttering up the president ahead of its Tuesday meeting with him to discuss the Renewable Fuels Standard.

 The ad is simple, direct, and shameless. Trump promised to defend the ethanol mandate and Trump has delivered. As shots of big combine harvesters and salt-of-the-earth farmers flash by, the ad strokes Trump’s ego.

Sure, ethanol adds billions of dollars to energy costs, boosts food prices, hurts fuel economy, and generally harms the working-class voters Trump promised to help. But hey! There was a flashy 30-second ad on TV praising the president. If Trump saw it, why would he change policy?

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