Trump gives environment role to golf course consultant who called him a 'hero'

An environmental consultant who once dubbed President-elect Donald Trump an "environmental hero" has been tapped to join his administration.

"I am pleased to announce that Ed Russo, an Environmental Expert, will lead our Environmental Advisory Task Force, which will advise my Administration on initiatives to create great jobs and protect our natural resources, by following my policy of CLEAN AIR and CLEAN WATER. Together, we will achieve American Energy DOMINANCE, rebuild our Economy, and DRILL, BABY, DRILL," Trump wrote on his Truth Social app.

Politico noted on Friday night that Russo not only served as an environmental consultant to the Trump Organization, he self-published a book in 2016 with a prominently flattering title: "Donald J. Trump: An Environmental Hero."

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Russo has performed environmental consulting for golf courses and other properties in the United States and Europe. He praised Trump for a "practical" — rather than "radical" — approach to the environment.

"He [Trump] has a very practical approach. Obama goes to Paris and gets this climate change deal, but what did he actually get?" told Greenwire in an interview ahead of Trump's first term. "Donald Trump’s point over and over again is you need clean air and clean water. And then everything else fixes itself."

Russo said he wanted Trump to focus on "Practical environmentalism" — "not radical environmentalism."