Jakarta – Former U.S. President Donald Trump has called on Americans to return to using plastic straws. He plans to sign an executive order to overturn the policy of his predecessor, Joe Biden, which promoted the use of more environmentally friendly straws.
“I will sign an executive order next week to end Biden’s ridiculous push for useless paper straws. BACK TO PLASTIC,” Trump posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account on February 8, 2025, as accessed by detikcom on Monday (February 10, 2025).
According to BBC, Joe Biden had previously introduced a policy during his presidency. Last summer, Biden announced a plan to phase out single-use plastics in government facilities, aiming for a plastic-free government by 2035.
Biden’s initiative aimed to reduce plastic pollution in the United States, as plastic takes a long time to degrade and poses risks to the environment and wildlife.
At the time, the Biden administration stated that it supported “the goal of ending plastic pollution by 2040,” adding that “plastic pollution negatively impacts the environment and public health.”
California became the first U.S. state to completely ban plastic straws in 2019, followed by New York, Washington D.C., and Colorado.
Rewinding to 2019, during Trump’s previous presidency, plastic straws were also used as a campaign symbol in the U.S. Presidential Election. The Trump campaign sold plastic straws at $15 for 10 pieces, positioning them as a symbol of resistance against liberal narratives—Trump’s political rivals.
In the United States, support for environmental sustainability is typically associated with liberal groups, including campaigns promoting eco-friendly lifestyles.
At the time, Trump’s campaign manager, Brad Parscale, tweeted on Twitter (now X):
“Making straws great again.”
