‘Before the Flood’ Director Fisher Stevens Calls ‘Bulls—‘ on Donald Trump Energy Adviser

The documentarian and actor spoke as TheWrap partnered with POLITICO for newsmaking, issue-oriented discussions on Inauguration Day in Washington, D.C.

fisher stevens donald trump

Things got heated Friday between climate change documentary”Before the Flood” director Fisher Stevens and a member of Donald Trump’s transition team who advised on energy policy during a joint panel hosted by TheWrap and Politico.

“There’s a broad consensus among Americans — nobody wants to damage the environment,” Mike McKenna, president of MWR Strategies and transition team member, said during the panel in Washington, D.C. “The President, an EPA administrator, a Congressman, an Interior secretary, all those people operate within the boundaries of that consensus. That consensus — sorry — but that consensus does not include climate change.”

It was at that point that Stevens had enough.

“Wait, Mike, come on. Stop that bulls—, man. That is bulls—. Mike, it’s f—ing bulls—,” Stevens said. “Pardon my language. I’m telling you there is a consensus. It’s a huge consensus. It’s now 99 percent.” Fisher was of course referring to the broad consensus in the scientific community about the impact of human beings on climate change.

“What I think I was trying to say was that there’s no consensus about what to do about it, even among the people who think that it’s real, there’s no consensus about what to do about it,” McKenna followed up. “And until there is, nothing’s going to happen about it.”

McKenna went on to say that Trump has, from the very beginning, been focusing on creating jobs and that there would always be room for deal-making within his administration.

“I was hoping with this new administration that they would use some of this infrastructure to make green jobs,” Stevens said. “California, the economy is doing very well by having a large green economy. Jerry Brown has been using his state as an example of how that works. I think we can make money, we can create jobs, and we can pollute a lot less.”

Politco editor John Harris, a co-moderator on the panel along with TheWrap’s Editor-in-Chief Sharon Waxman, asked McKenna what people need to do with this new administration in order to drive policy change.

“The President has said, ‘Look, we’re going to view everything the federal government does through two metrics:  its effect on American consumers and its effect on American workers,’” McKenna said. “You come in and make a convincing case on whatever it is you want, that has an effect on consumer and workers in a positive way, it’s the key to the empire.”

For Inauguration Day, the top of the W Hotel across from the White House was transformed into Politico’s 2017 Inauguration Hub. They welcomed a mix of political leaders, activists and respected business and cultural figures.

Inauguration coverage and the swearing-in ceremony was played on screens throughout the hub and the day is set to close with viewing of the inaugural parade route from the W hotel.

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