PoliticsChristie Brinkley Slams Donald Trump Over Emissions Rule Reversal: 'Destroying the Country'
Christie Brinkley criticized Donald Trump's decision to ease mercury emission limits.
Feb. 23 2026, Published 2:28 p.m. ET
Christie Brinkley isn't holding back when it comes to her criticism of Donald Trump's latest environmental move.
After the Trump administration announced plans to ease clean air regulations limiting mercury and other hazardous emissions from coal-fired power plants, the model and author took to Instagram to voice her outrage.
Health Concerns
Christie Brinkley took to social media to share her concerns about the administration's environmental policy shift.
Brinkley warned that the decision could have serious health consequences, especially for children.
"Another day, another way to destroy our health! Mercury causes deformities in babies and developmental disorders of the brain! And it targets adults too with nervous system disorders and organ damage. THIS GREED AT OUR EXPENSE MUST STOP," she wrote over a news headline about coal plants shared to her Instagram Stories, per The Blast.
'Destroying the Country'
The model warned that mercury exposure can pose serious health risks, especially to babies.
In another slide, Brinkley reposted a quote attributed to Trump that read, "'I CAN DO ANYTHING I WANT TO DO TO THEM. I'M ALLOWED TO DESTROY THE COUNTRY.' – Donald Trump 2/20/26."
She followed up with her own pointed remark, adding, "And I must say he is doing a good job of destroying the country."
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Brinkley reposted a quote attributed to Donald Trump before adding her own sharp response.
The administration announced Friday, February 20, plans to loosen federal clean-air rules limiting mercury and other toxic emissions from power plants.
Officials said the change is intended to support baseload power — the consistent electricity supply needed for grid reliability. The Environmental Protection Agency under Trump said easing the standards would lower operating costs for utilities that rely on older coal-fired plants.
The agency indicated that the move is intended to support energy production at a time when electricity consumption is rising.
Christie Brinkley Previously Slammed Donald Trump
The EPA said easing the rules would help reduce costs for older coal plants.
Brinkley previously criticized Trump over his concerns about climate change following his election win in November 2024.
"The fate of our children's future is in our hands. He has promised to undo every environmental protection put in place during the Biden administration on day one," she said in part on her Instagram, per a news outlet.
"That will make it impossible to keep climate chaos from accelerating," she wrote, adding that natural disasters and disease "will all intensify if we don't choose our planet over profits for a handful of greedy corporations."
The model added: "There's no undoing the climate change we are feeling today, but if we work together, we can slow it, even stop its devastating progression. And we know trickle-down economics is a failed concept, so don't think that drill Baby drill is going to make you rich. It's more like sick, like ill baby ill."
