Are ordinary citizens’ perceptions of global warming driven by like-minded elite cues? We answer this question by examining the impact of Donald Trump, who questions global warming and opposes mitigation efforts, on Republicans’ climate change skepticism. Drawing on a repeated cross-sectional survey conducted in the United States from 2008 to 2022, we employ difference-in-differences strategies to investigate the relationship between Trump’s ascent to power and the concurrent increase in Republicans’ denial of global warming and skepticism of the scientific consensus on it. The results indicate that there is indeed a significant association between the Trump presidency and the increase in climate skepticism among Republicans and Republican-leaning individuals. Meanwhile, Republicans’ ideological inclination and frequency of exposure to climate change-related news have moderating effects on this relationship. This paper sheds light on the relationship between elite cues and public perceptions of climate change.
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