During the 2016 campaign and continuing to the present, sociopathic liar and con man Donald "Rump" Trump promised that he'd bring back the coal industry, despite years of decline prompted by economic realities. Coal consumption is at a low point not seen since the late 1970s, and more coal-fired plants have shuttered in the past two years than in President Obama's entire first term. Not only that, but coal's decline has been accelerating under Rump at a greater rate.
While many of his cult supporters in "coal country" will stick with him even after he gives them the proverbial (coal) shaft, some are beginning to see the con. CNN ran a story about the phenomenon:
Rump ran up big majorities among blue collar communities in coal states like Pennsylvania, Kentucky and West Virginia in 2016, not all of it, of course, due to his promises about the coal industry. But like his medieval wall that Mexico was supposed to pay for, Rump's lies to "coal country" were simply a means to an end. Now that his promises have proven to be frauds, will more disallusioned Trumpers notice? We're not hopeful, but time will tell.
