One of the most notable absences at this week’s United Nations climate change conference reflects the leadership of the United States, one of the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters.
President Donald Trump’s administration has refused to send top-level officials to Belem, Brazil, this year for the annual event known as COP30.
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But in President Trump’s absence, state and local officials have arrived to reaffirm America’s commitment to climate policy and attack Republican leaders.
On Tuesday, one such politician made headlines: California Governor Gavin Newsom. He is Trump’s longtime Democratic sparring partner. He is widely speculated to be a candidate for the 2028 presidential election.
Appearing on a series of panels, Newsom accused the Trump administration of dereliction of office by not sending representatives to COP30.
“I come from the United States, and I come here with a sense of humility, and I’m very mindful that the Trump administration has abandoned any sense of duty, responsibility, and leadership around the issues that unite us all,” Newsom said during the Cabinet meeting.
“It’s abhorrent. It’s shameful. But instead of complaining about it, we’re trying to do something about it.”
He sought to contrast his leadership with Trump’s and position California’s efforts as having bipartisan appeal.
In touting California as an innovator in clean energy efforts, Newsom cited the state’s Republican leaders, including Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon, for spearheading efforts to reduce water and air pollution.
“I’m here because I don’t want America to be a footnote in this conference, and I want you to know that we recognize our responsibility and we recognize our opportunity,” Newsom told the COP30 audience.
political point
Newsom’s comments come at a critical juncture in his political career. His term as governor is limited to two terms, and he is scheduled to retire after the 2026 midterm elections.
The Democratic leader spent his later years as California governor raising his national and international profile. For example, in 2023, he visited China, also on the premise of signing an international bond to tackle climate change.
And in the 2024 presidential election, he emerged as an asshole who challenges Republican policies. He took on Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis in a televised debate on Fox News and was a leading surrogate in the failed campaign of then-President Joe Biden, who withdrew from the race over concerns about his age.
Trump, the winner of the 2024 presidential election, has repeatedly targeted Newsom since taking office in January.
The two politicians have clashed over wildfire suppression, immigration policy and President Trump’s decision to deploy federal troops to American cities. Trump gave the California governor one of his trademark nicknames, “Newscam,” and tweeted in June that it would be “great” if the Democrat was arrested.
Meanwhile, Newsom criticized President Trump’s international and domestic policies at a climate change conference on Tuesday.
Newsom argued that by failing to send a representative to COP30, the United States had created an opening for economic and political rival China to exert more power on the world stage.
“China is here. The only country that is not here is the United States of America,” Newsom said.
President Trump has used tariffs on foreign imports as a way to counter China’s growing influence, but Newsom argued that the United States is losing economic ground by distancing itself from tackling climate change and clean energy technology.
“This is not a power issue. This is an economic power issue, and we in California are not going to cede that competition to China,” Newsom said.
President Trump’s climate policy
President Trump has been vocal in his opposition to emissions reduction policies, going so far as to call climate change a “hoax” and a “swindler,” a position that ignores the scientific consensus linking fossil fuel use to long-term effects on the global climate.
For example, at the United Nations General Assembly in September, President Trump claimed that countries around the world were “devastated” by a “fake energy catastrophe.”
He also criticized world leaders who are trying to impose policies that would cap carbon emissions.
“The predictions of the United Nations and many others were all wrong, often for bad reasons,” he said.
“They were created by stupid people who caused huge damage to their countries and gave their fellow countries no chance of success. Run away from this green scam or your country will fail.”
Mr. Trump campaigned for reelection under the slogan “Drill, Baby, Drill,” and since returning to the White House has sought to fulfill his promise to open federal lands to oil and gas exploration.
On Tuesday, the day Newsom appeared in Brazil, the Washington Post revealed that the Trump administration is considering a draft proposal that would allow offshore drilling along California’s coastline.
Such activity has largely petered out in recent decades because of high-profile oil spills, and California has banned new oil rigs in state waters, but only within three miles of the coast.
Democrats, including Rep. Mike Levin, have been trying to pass legislation to protect the state’s coastline from further drilling, to no avail. But Newsom said Tuesday that Trump’s proposal was “dead on arrival.”
He also questioned why the news about the drilling project was being reported during the COP30 meeting.
“He intentionally timed it with the opening of COP,” Newsom said.
He noted that offshore drilling faces bipartisan opposition in Florida, where Trump is home to his Mar-a-Lago resort on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.
“I also think it’s notable that he didn’t advertise it in his backyard at Mar-a-Lago. He didn’t advertise it off the coast of Florida,” Newsom said, suggesting a double standard. “That says everything about Donald Trump.”
connect with voters
For a time, Mr. Newsom’s inner circle of Mr. Trump went beyond opposition to the Republican president’s pro-fossil fuel policies.
When asked about President Trump’s repeated airstrikes on maritime vessels suspected of carrying drug smuggling, Newsom was furious.
“What happened to due process? What happened to the rule of law?” Newsom asked. “I believe in the rule of law. I don’t believe in the rule of the don. That’s what we stand for in the United States of America. I don’t want to lose our republic.”
Since September 2, the Trump administration has carried out at least 19 airstrikes in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean, killing about 75 people.
No evidence has been publicly provided to justify the bombing operation, and the identities of the dead remain unknown.
Legal experts have condemned the attack as a form of extrajudicial killing, and UN leaders have called for an end to the military operation, calling it a violation of the UN Charter.
The Trump administration has defended the violence as necessary to stop drug trafficking into the United States. There is also a movement to refer to cartels in Central and South America as “international terrorist organizations” and “enemy combatants.”
But Newsom said such behavior was unacceptable and called on the international community to stand up to Trump.
“Our politics need to change and I hope our international partners understand that,” he said. “It is appalling to see the United States blow up a boat without transparency, without the advice or consent of the U.S. Congress.”
At a separate COP30 event titled “America is in full force,” Newsom emphasized his call for political change in the United States and stressed that President Trump’s power is “temporary.”
“He’s an alien species. He’s a wrecking ball president,” Newsom said.
When pressed for solutions that connect with voters, the California governor encouraged world leaders to find a unified approach, especially when it comes to combating climate change skepticism.
Emissions reduction goals, such as limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, are abstract to most voters, Newsom argued.
“I think we have to use different words,” he said. “The majority of my audience doesn’t know what temperature it is in degrees Celsius. I’m talking about 1.5 degrees Celsius. How many degrees Fahrenheit? We talk about greenhouse gas emissions. Where are the greenhouse gas emissions? Are they floating in the sky or where are they landing?”
“We don’t understand. We have to use better metaphors. We have to change the language.”
But the California governor played coy when asked about his own ambitions as a potential successor to President Trump. “I’m not going to take the bait,” he said, drawing laughter.
