Jake Tapper tried to bait Sen. John McCain into denouncing Trump’s climate change policy but McCain used the question to destroy liberal opposition to nuclear power.

McCain joined Tapper on the Sunday morning edition of CNN’s “State Of The Union,” where they discussed North Korea and Afghanistan before switching topics to climate change.

“As you know, President Trump has wrongly referred to climate change as a Chinese hoax,” Tapper baited. “You’ve been a Republican leader on the need to combat man-made climate change.”

“This must concern you,” Tapper finished.

McCain, rather than attack Trump, used the opportunity to slam liberals for opposing nuclear power.

“I think one of the aspects of it that does concern me is my friends in the environmental community’s outright rejection of nuclear power, which is the cleanest there is,” McCain said.

“Their refusal to even consider it is something that has been an impediment in moving forward.”

McCain admitted that he believes “climate change is real” but that policies being proposed by the left have threatened economic growth.

“I also think that some of the remedies that are being proposed can harm our economy as well,” the senator concluded.