Newsom Rebukes Absent Trump at Global Climate Talks in Brazil

Attendees during the COP30 climate summit in Belem, Para state, Brazil, Photographer: Alessandro Falco/Bloomberg Photo by Alessandro Falco /Bloomberg

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(Bloomberg) — California Governor Gavin Newsom swept into the COP30 climate summit in Brazil with all the fanfare of a head of state.

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He met with foreign ministers, huddled with the governor of Pará state, Brazil, and signed a declaration for deepened collaboration with Germany’s Baden-Württemberg. 

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And everywhere Newsom went inside the packed conference venue near the mouth of the Amazon River, he was mobbed by delegates and activists eager for a glimpse of the Democratic governor who’s effectively become the highest-ranking US emissary at the international climate talks. 

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“The United States of America is as dumb as we want to be on this topic, but the state of California is not,” Newsom told delegates. “And so we are going to assert ourselves, and we are going to lean in, and we are going to compete in this space.”

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Newsom and other state and local officials came to the climate summit with a message of continued US commitment to battling climate change, even as President Donald Trump retreats from the fight. Trump, who has derided climate change as a “hoax,” is shunning the United Nations talks and so far hasn’t dispatched even low-level US government officials to the negotiations. 

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Trump is instead “directly engaging” with world leaders on energy issues, a White House official said. 

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The president is pursuing a vision of American energy dominance that features more domestic oil and gas production. He’s also used trade talks and tariff threats to encourage other countries to jettison renewable-power commitments and buy more American fuels.

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Trump’s influence looms large over the talks. Last month, US officials joined Saudi Arabia, Iran and other nations in a successful campaign to derail plans for the first-ever fixed global carbon tax on shipping. And some delegates at the climate conference in Brazil say they’re worried about a repeat. 

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On Tuesday, Newsom, who is considering a bid for the presidency in 2028, cast himself as an antidote to Trump. Newsom emphasized that his state of California and its $4 trillion economy, the fourth largest in the world, is leading the fight against climate change and embracing emissions-free electricity.

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“California distinguishes itself from the current occupant of the White House in Washington, DC,” Newsom said during an event hosted by Germany. “California is a stable and reliable partner.”

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Newsom said his message to countries, concerned that climate action may invite retribution from Trump, is that the second-term president “is not a permanent fixture” in the White House.

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“Trump is temporary, and I hope folks around the globe remember that,” Newsom told reporters. “He will be remembered in years, not in decades. And he’s reckless, he’s chaotic, mercurial and he’s transactional, but people have to stand up. You stand up to a bully.”

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At a press conference, Newsom also warned about China’s growing dominance as a supplier of electric vehicles and other clean energy technology. Although China’s President Xi Xinping didn’t attend COP30 events, he sent scores of delegates and mounted a splashy pavilion at the conference.