President Donald Trump accepted a special pro-coal award on Wednesday as his administration planned to roll back greenhouse gas regulations. The 79-year-old hosted an event at the White House alongside Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
During the event, Trump signed an executive order asking the Defense Department to buy electricity from coal-fired power plants. Coal is a major fossil fuel primarily used for electricity generation and steel production.
Trump announced that $175 million in federal funding to upgrade six coal plants located in various states across the nation has been approved. After the announcement, the Washington Coal Club presented POTUS with the inaugural “Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal” award.
🚨 JUST IN: President Trump to coal miners as he signs an executive order SURGING coal production via the Department of War:
“You do so much. You heat our homes, fuel our factories, and turn natural resources into American riches and dreams.” 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/SV3UKa5dw1
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) February 11, 2026
According to reports, the Washington Coal Club is an organization that has longstanding ties with the fossil fuel industry. It was organized in 1903 as an unincorporated association and was incorporated in 1907 under the Laws of the State of Connecticut.
As soon as images of Donald Trump accepting the award went viral, environmental experts slammed the pro-coal initiatives. The Sierra Club, which is one of America’s most influential environmental organizations, also condemned the decisions.
Director Laurie Williams accused Trump of choosing the industry allies over consumers struggling with rising energy costs. She argued the administration’s actions would increase pollution and household expenses.
This might be detrimental to millions of Americans who are already struggling with the inflation crisis that has led to increased grocery prices and the cost of living.
“Americans are already grappling with soaring energy costs and a massive affordability crisis,” Beyond Coal Campaign Director Laurie Williams said in a public statement.
The Trump administration had earlier implemented several environmental policy reversals. Last July, the EPA announced it would close its Office of Research and Development, responsible for studying toxic chemicals and water pollution.
Critics also claimed that expanding coal use could increase greenhouse gas emissions, raise health care and energy costs, and contribute to climate-related disasters such as floods, heat waves, and wildfires.
In 2025, at the UN General Assembly, Trump called climate change a “scam.” In 2026, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, he also labeled sustainable energy policies the “greatest hoax in history.”
Meanwhile, online users mocked Trump on X after he received the “Clean Coal Award.” One user said, “The felon gets another participation trophy.”
Another added, “Trump is the last person on planet Earth who still thinks coal is the future of energy.”
Trump is the last person on planet Earth who still thinks coal is the future of energy.
— Jeff Clabault (@JeffClabault) February 11, 2026
Previously, Donald Trump attended the FIFA World Cup 2026 final draw at the Kennedy Center, where Gianni Infantino awarded him the FIFA Peace Prize. Gianni Infantino mentioned that Trump has “taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace” and “united people across the world.”
He repeatedly claimed to stop wars across the world, adding in his speech, “This is truly one of the great honors of my life, and beyond awards, Gianni and I were discussing this. We saved millions and millions of lives.”
This honor came right after Trump lost the Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuela’s María Corina Machado, on October 10, 2025, in Oslo City Hall in Norway. The incident allegedly bruised his ego, and the FIFA honor acted as a replacement for it.
According to The Huffpost, when FIFA President Gianni Infantino awarded Donald Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize, Mary Trump began reconsidering the deeper reasons behind his “thirst” for the title.
People on X also made a series of comments mocking the win. A user added, “There is no such thing as FIFA Peace Prize. It is fictional.” Another said, “How cute, Donald gets a participation award,” another added.
Mary Trump, a renowned Trump critic and psychologist, has said on her show ‘Mary Trump Live,’ that the Republican candidate’s hunger for the constant validation and spotlight comes from his unresolved childhood trauma and his father’s strict upbringing.
The psychologist said, “he (Trump) realizes that no amount of money or status can replace love, despite his father’s attempts to frame wealth as the measure of everything. “Nothing can substitute for love,” she said. “And in his most fearful moments, Donald knows that. And we are all paying the price for it.”
