Friends, 

There are 115 days until Election Day, and it is convention time. It was quite the week: everyone from Taraji P. Henson to Lizzo are talking about Project 2025. Next week, many eyes will be on the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While there are still a lot of unknowns, including who will be Trump’s Vice Presidential candidate (they are all horrible), we do know one thing: the RNC will be an ode to Big Oil CEOs and their wishlist for a second Trump term. This is a convention and a candidate brought to you by Big Oil. 

Here’s what you need to know about Donald Trump and his radical, MAGA Republican Party ahead of next week’s convention: 

• A RADICAL DICTATOR ON DAY ONE: Trump says he wants to be a dictator on day one. His dangerous MAGA agenda as “dictator” will eliminate pollution protections, end clean energy investments, and let Big Oil drill on our nation's public lands and waters.

• LETTING CORPORATIONS POLLUTE: Ignoring scientists and health experts, Trump calls climate change a “hoax” and will let corporate polluters pump toxins into our air and water, exposing American families to chemicals linked to cancer, asthma, and brain damage. 

• SCREWING THE MIDDLE CLASS: Trump’s MAGA radical agenda will screw the middle class by gutting our nation’s clean energy economy, taking cleaner and more affordable energy choices away, killing clean energy jobs, and instead, giving more tax handouts and making billion-dollar deals with Big Oil executives. 

• GUTTING ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS: As president, Trump sided with Big Oil to gut more than 125 environmental protections, leaving our air and water dirtier and poisoning our most vulnerable communities, including communities of color and low-income households. 

To prepare for the convention, we are ready to contrast the RNC’s “daily themes” with our top-tested contrast messaging here: 

DAY-BY-DAY CONTRAST 

CONTRAST IS KEY: Polling shows that contrast messaging is most effective at moving voters away from Trump and toward Biden. When possible, attacks on Trump should be framed as contrast.

AT YOUR FINGERTIPS:

Ahead of the circus that is the Republican National Convention, we wanted to share a few resources below that might be helpful: 

• Climate Power’s Resource Toolkit—RNC Edition: Messaging, social media graphics, research, polling, and more to help guide your response to the convention! 

• Top Climate Hits Cheat Sheet: Messaging and framing on hot climate topics, including specific resources on the clean energy boom, the jobs at risk under Donald Trump, and extreme weather threats in Wisconsin. 

• Message Guidance—Trump’s Project 2025: To support your response to the dangerous and extreme MAGA plot spelling out what Donald Trump would do if reelected. 

IF YOU DO ONE THING:

Project 2025 previews what a second term under Donald Trump would look like. It’s scary! Trump would double down on his extreme and dangerous record as the most anti-environment, pro-polluter president in history. We know voters are moved when they learn about President Biden’s historic climate record and compare it to Trump’s record as the worst environmental president in history. Trump is the ultimate climate denier and an active threat to all of our climate progress. 

To help bring home the message, Climate Power is hosting a briefing on Monday, July 22nd at 3PM ET on key findings from polls conducted across seven battleground states, including AZ, GA, MI, NV, NC, PA, and WI. These polls explore the current election dynamics, and what climate and clean energy messages resonate the most with target voters. To register, please click here. 

Important note: These briefings are for coordinated side partners & campaign staff, and will include electoral content. Please include relevant staff from your teams in this poll briefing. These briefings are off the record and closed to the press. 

MUST READ:

• The Associated Press: Biden awards $1.7 billion to boost electric vehicle manufacturing and assembly in 8 states

• The New York Times: The Run-Up: Project 2025: Suddenly Everywhere, Explained

• NPR: Why climate change makes a hurricane like Beryl more dangerous

• Heatmap: The IRA Might Survive a Republican Trifecta — But Not as a Climate Law

And, as you may have heard, Hurricane Beryl swept through the Texas coast earlier this week, taking at least seven lives, causing major flooding, and leaving millions without power as a dangerous heat wave hits the region. If you want to help, Organizing Resilience’s On-Call Network is working closely with organizing groups and government allies on the ground in the Houston Gulf Coast region.

More soon,

Angella + Team Climate Power

P.S. Expect much more from Climate Power throughout next week as we track and respond to the RNC.