Donald Trump ridiculed over claim that 'extended cold blast' is proof global warming does not exist

Donald Trump has been ridiculed after he said freezing weather in the US is proof global warming does not exist.

As a cold snap hit parts of the country ahead of Thanksgiving on Thursday, the president offered his latest controversial take on climate change.

“Brutal and Extended Cold Blast could shatter ALL RECORDS,” he posted on Twitter. “Whatever happened to Global Warming?”

The president’s suggestion that the “extended” cold blast – which could lead to the chilliest Thanksgiving in more than a century – is not linked to climate change is contradicted by NASA. It says climate change is a long-term shift in temperature averages as opposed to short-term weather events.

More than 51,000 people had responded to Mr Trump’s tweet on Thursday morning. The public were quick to mock him.

John Doherty said: “Congratulations! How you manage it I don’t know, every single day you manage to outdo the previous level of stupidity! It really is incredible that people actually voted for you!”

Justin Nace fumed: "You know absolutely nothing. You’re an absolute disgrace."

Kristian Stuart even called out Mr Trump's friend Piers Morgan over the remark. He said: "@piersmorgan how can you justify supporting anybody who doesn't know the difference between weather and climate? This is the Leader of the free world. I know you'll read this as well so please don't ignore."

Mr Trump has regularly been challenged over his climate change claims during his presidency. Last month, he said he doubted whether it was man-made.

And last year, the president announced he would pull the US out of the Paris Agreement, a treaty in which nations pledge to reduce carbon emissions, leaving it the only country in the world not signed to the deal.

The National Weather Service was forecasting temperatures as low as -6C in New York. It had the potential to be the state’s coldest Thanksgiving since 1901.

An hour after he posted his thoughts on global warming, the president was mocked again for another tweet in which he claimed the “fake news media” was blaming him for the massive Thanksgiving traffic jams.

One Twitter user, John Stefanac, mused: “Sometimes you just have to check to make sure you're not reading a Tweet from a parody account.”