President Donald Trump on Saturday declared the perpetually shrinking Great Salt Lake in the Republican-led state of Utah to be of “tremendous interest” to him, and vowed to provide direct assistance to address what he called the "environmental hazard,” a stark contrast to his demand earlier this week to be asked “politely” to provide aid for a major wastewater spill in the Democratic-run Washington, D.C.
“Very important to save The Great Salt Lake in Utah,” Trump wrote Saturday on his social media platform Truth Social.
“This is an Environmental hazard that must be worked on, IMMEDIATELY — It is of tremendous interest to me. The people of Utah are spectacular, and they deserve to be helped. I am dealing with your very caring Governor, Spencer Cox, and we are going to make it all happen! MAKE ‘THE LAKE’ GREAT AGAIN!”
The Great Salt Lake – the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere – has exponentially shrunk following sustained droughts and manmade water diversions, reaching record low water levels in 2021. As the water level decreases, more toxic dust is exposed, creating what some have described as a “public health crisis.”
Utah voted overwhelmingly for President Donald Trump in the 2024 election, with Trump receiving nearly 60% of the total vote count to President candidate Kamala Harris’ nearly 38%, potentially giving reason for Trump’s eagerness to provide assistance to the state.
Conversely, Washington, D.C., which, while not a state, is led overwhelmingly by Democrats, received a very different response to its own recent environmental hazard.
D.C. officials have scrambled since last month to contain a severe wastewater spill – the largest in U.S. history – and Trump’s response was very different than the one he provided Utah.
“Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., who are responsible for the massive sewage spill in the Potomac River, must get to work, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote on social media earlier this week. “If they can’t do the job, they have to call me and ask, politely, to get it fixed. The Federal Government is not at all involved with what has taken place, but we can fix it.”