Here are five reasons birds have suffered or will suffer from his presidency.
1. Dismissal of Climate Change
Trump has called climate change a “hoax” and global warming a “green scam” – with the result of drastically reducing any efforts to curtail carbon dioxide emissions. Many bird species are threatened by global warming, and Trump’s policies will make these threats even more serious (source).
2. Massive Staff Reductions at Relevant Government Agencies
In February 2025, the Trump administration fired hundreds of employees from conservation agencies like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). As a result, many projects aimed at bird protection will have to be reduced or ended (source).
3. Rollback of Environmental Protection Laws
During the first Trump term, 98 environmental rules and regulations were rolled back. These changes massively favored industrial development and the exploitation of resources over the protection of birds (source).
4. Weakening of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act
During the first Trump term, the Trump administration tried to substantially weaken the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by eliminating the prohibition on the predictable or avoidable killing of migratory birds by industrial activities. The Audubon Society commented, “The Trump Administration’s Bird Killer Department, formerly known as the Department of the Interior, just gets crueler and more craven every day” (source).
5. Reduced Protection of Wildlife Refuges
The Trump administration allowed – and will allow – massive oil drilling on protected land, for example in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (source).
Photo by Kássia Melo: https://www.pexels.com/photo/monochrome-image-of-a-bird-on-sandy-beach-28938649/
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