"Doing everything but lowering the cost of gas & groceries" - Internet reacts as Trump to end Biden's paper straw policy and bring back plastic straws

US President Donald Trump has once again ignited a controversy by promising to reverse the Joe Biden administration's drive for environmentally friendly paper straws. Trump criticized the program and promised to reinstate plastic straws. On February 7, he wrote on Truth Social:

"I will be signing an Executive Order next week ending the ridiculous Biden push for paper straws, which don’t work. BACK TO PLASTIC!’’

Now, once this post was uploaded on X by @PopBase on February 7, people took to the comment section of the post to react to the same.

Most netizens criticized his decision as one said that Trump should focus on lowering the cost of gas and groceries.

“Doing everything but lowering the cost of gas & groceries but are we surprised,” wrote one X user.

One X user said that the president had allegedly signed the “worst executive orders”, while another one said that bringing back plastic straws won’t lower the cost of living.

“He has to have the record for the worst executive orders signed,” one X user criticised.

“Will this lower the cost of living?” sarcastically asked one X user.

“We are not going to see 2030 are we?” another one asked.

However, many people also supported Donald.

“I mean it didn’t do much good when the paper straws were in plastic wrap… Lol,” said another user.

“I miss plastic shopping bags. The paper ones rip before u get to the car,” agreed another one.

"Never thought about this one, but I’m in! Paper straws are the worst. Can we get plastic bags as well?," an X user wrote.

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Trump will reverse Biden's plan to phase out plastic straws across the US government

(Image via Getty Images)

On Friday, Donald Trump declared that the United States would return to using plastic straws. He further expressed strong opposition to the environmentally friendly paper straws that his predecessor Joe Biden had promoted.

In a different post, the US president also stated that Biden's "mandate" for paper straws was no longer valid:

“Enjoy your next drink without a straw that disgustingly dissolves in your mouth!!!”

For years, the US president has made fun of the paper straws in his campaign rallies. As per Live Mint's February 8 report, he mockingly questioned their efficacy during a 2020 rally, saying:

“They want to ban straws. Has anyone tried those paper straws? They’re not working too good. It disintegrates as you drink it, and if you have a nice tie like this tie, you’ve got no choice."

Additionally, as per The Guardian's report from the same day, he has expressed dissatisfaction with plastic straw's durability. His staff further distributed recyclable plastic straws bearing the Trump logo during the same rally and said:

"Make straws great again! Liberal paper straws don't work. Stand with President Trump and get YOUR pack of recyclable Trump Straws TODAY. Only $15 for a pack of 10."

This came after the Biden administration had declared its intention to eliminate single-use plastic products, such as straws and cutlery, from government buildings by the first half of the 20th century.

To combat the growing problem of plastic pollution, Biden also tried to restrict the use of disposable plastics like straws and sachets by the US government.

Since straws and other single-use plastics are allegedly harming the ecosystem and the oceans, former President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris intended to phase them out in 2024.

The intention was for various enterprises to move to paper straws and for US government agencies to phase out drinking straws by 2035.