Al Gore Says ‘Climate Deniers’ Are Like Uvalde Officers ‘Waiting Outside Unlocked Door While Children Are Being Massacred’

Former Vice President Al Gore told NBC’s Chuck Todd that “climate deniers” are like the law enforcement officers who waited “outside an unlocked door while the children were being massacred” in the Robb Elementary mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

In an interview for Meet the Press airing tomorrow, Gore made the explicit comparison, complete with invoking the “screams” of children being killed, in answer to a question about fossil fuels and President Joe Biden‘s leadership.

Todd asked the former VP and Nobel winner about what he said is “probably the biggest challenge” on climate issues, “political will.”

“It’s not just in this country; China and India are emerging powers that are reliant on fossil fuels, Europe is backsliding with the decision on methane,” said Todd. “If the United States can’t be a global leader here, who will?”

Gore established his context, bringing up the upcoming election and the prospects for Democrats.

“Well, the United States must step up and provide leadership. And of course, President Biden’s been trying to do that. And he has a 50-50 Senate, really a 49-51 Senate on everything related to the climate, and a razor-thin majority in the House,” said Gore.

He tied his comments to the idea of public perception and alarm. “You know, Abraham Lincoln once said, ‘With public sentiment, everything is possible. Without it, nothing can succeed.’ The rest of us need to step up,” he said. “And we’ve got an election coming up. And this is time for all of us to step up.”

Then Gore invoked the deaths of the children in Uvalde and the horrific and deadly inaction of law enforcement to make his case.

“You know, the climate deniers are really in some ways similar to all of those almost 400 law enforcement officers in Uvalde, Texas, who were waiting outside an unlocked door while the children were being massacred,” he said. “They heard the screams, they heard the gunshots, and nobody stepped forward.”

Perhaps realizing what he just said, Gore quickly acknowledged the families, and then just as quickly tried to blunt the criticism of law enforcement.

“And God bless those families who’ve suffered so much. And law enforcement officials tell us that’s not typical of what law enforcement usually does,” he blurted before going back to his point.

“And confronted with this global emergency, what we’re doing with our inaction and failing to walk through the door and stop the killing is not typical of what we are capable of as human beings,” he said, trying to land the comparison. “We do have the solutions. And I think these extreme events that are getting steadily worse and more severe are really beginning to change minds.”

Amazingly, Gore wrapped up by saying that crisis shouldn’t be a “political football,” and having just explicitly explained it as a partisan election issue, added that it “shouldn’t be a partisan issue.”

Watch the clip above, via NBC’s Meet the Press.