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California Governor Gavin Newsom used his appearance at the COP30 global climate conference in Belém, Brazil, this week to criticize the Trump administration’s absence while promoting California’s climate policies on the world stage.
As the most prominent American official at the conference, Newsom highlighted California’s role in addressing climate change despite federal inaction. His office released a summary of his visit, emphasizing that the state is “leading by example” and demonstrating that “climate action and economic growth go hand in hand.”
“As Donald Trump abandons American climate leadership, California continues and accelerates its climate action, urging global investors to embrace the technologies and infrastructure driving the clean energy future,” Newsom’s office stated.
The governor delivered remarks as co-chair of America Is All In, a coalition of non-federal U.S. actors committed to climate action. He also attended a meeting of the U.S. Climate Alliance, a group of state governors focused on climate initiatives, before traveling into the Amazon rainforest to meet with community leaders.
“While Donald Trump is handing the future to China, California is proving that climate action, business growth, supporting workers, and good-paying jobs go hand in hand,” Newsom said during the conference. “We’re not turning backwards to the failed policies of the past — California is fighting for a clean-energy future, even as President Trump bends the knee to his Gulf-State patrons and takes a nap as the world burns.”
Speaking at the concurrent Milken Institute Global Investors Symposium in Sao Paulo, Newsom touted California’s economic and environmental achievements. He claimed that the state, which operates the world’s fourth-largest economy, runs on 67% clean energy and that for nine out of ten days this year, California operated on 100% non-fossil fuel energy for at least part of the day.
“I don’t know if there’s another jurisdiction in the world that can lay claim to that,” the governor asserted, emphasizing what he called “the genius of ‘and,’ not the tyranny of ‘or'” in balancing economic and environmental priorities.
The White House responded sharply to Newsom’s Brazil trip. Spokesperson Taylor Rogers criticized the governor for California’s high consumer energy costs and questioned the environmental impact of the summit itself, referencing reports that thousands of acres had been cleared for a “special purpose highway” into the rainforest—claims that Belém officials have denied, stating that Avenida Liberdade was not built specifically for the conference.
“Governor Newscum (sic) flew all the way to Brazil to tout the Green New Scam, while the people of California are paying some of the highest energy prices in the country: Embarrassing,” Rogers said. “It’s time for Newscum and other countries to drop the climate façade. President Trump will not allow the best interest of the American people to be jeopardized by the Green Energy Scam.”
The exchange highlights the deep political divide over climate policy that has characterized American politics in recent years. Former Washington Governor Jay Inslee, also present at the conference, told Germany’s Deutsche Welle that while the U.S. federal government has withdrawn from the Paris climate accords under Trump, many states and localities remain committed to its goals.
Meanwhile, Chris Wright, the newly appointed Energy Secretary in the Trump administration, dismissed the climate conference while speaking at a business event in Greece, calling it “essentially a hoax” and “not an honest organization looking to better human lives.” Wright suggested he might attend the 2026 conference to deliver what he called “common sense.”
The contrasting approaches to climate policy between California and the federal government under Trump underscore the fragmentation of U.S. climate leadership, with states like California attempting to maintain international engagement on climate issues despite the federal government’s retreat from global climate cooperation.
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9 Comments
Promoting state-level climate action is a smart strategy, but it would be better to have a coherent national approach. Curious to hear Newsom’s specific policy proposals to drive progress.
Newsom is right to emphasize that climate action and economic growth can go hand-in-hand. Innovative clean energy solutions present enormous economic opportunities that the US shouldn’t cede to other nations.
Newsom is right to highlight California’s climate leadership, but I’m skeptical that this will spur meaningful change at the federal level. Curious to see if the White House responds to these criticisms.
Agreed, the political tensions make it difficult for state-level action to translate to national progress. Curious to see if this spurs any bipartisan collaboration on climate policy.
It’s concerning to see the US ceding global climate leadership to China. Newsom is right to call out this troubling trend, though I’m unsure if his rhetoric will drive concrete policy changes.
Hopefully Newsom’s high-profile appearance at COP30 helps raise awareness of the risks of US disengagement on climate issues. Progress will require cooperation across party lines.
Kudos to Newsom for representing the US at the COP30 conference. Engagement on the global stage is important, even if the federal government is absent. Hoping this raises awareness of climate challenges.
Newsom makes a fair point – the US needs to be at the table for critical global climate discussions. Ceding that influence to China is concerning. Curious to see how this plays out politically.
Interesting to see Newsom using the global stage to highlight California’s climate leadership. It’s an important counterpoint to the current federal administration’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement.