Newsom Criticizes Trump Administration at COP30 in Brazil
California’s Governor Gavin Newsom stood out as a key U.S. figure at the COP30 global climate conference happening in Belém, Brazil, this week. At the event, he did not hold back in criticizing the Trump administration for its absence.
The White House responded, highlighting that California still faces some of the highest energy costs in the nation. Newsom’s office stated that the conference illustrated California’s role in showcasing the connection between climate actions and economic growth.
“As Donald Trump steps back from U.S. climate leadership, California is stepping up,” his office emphasized. They posited that California’s proactive climate measures are inviting global investors to back clean energy technologies.
On Tuesday, Newsom was set to speak as co-chair of America Is All In, a coalition involving various non-federal U.S. stakeholders focused on climate action. He was also scheduled to participate in a meeting with the American Climate Alliance before heading to the Amazon to meet local managers.
“While Trump puts his trust in China, California is demonstrating that climate action and economic growth are interconnected,” Newsom remarked. He further insisted that California is not backtracking on previous policies. “Even as Trump aligns himself with certain Gulf states, California is standing firm for a clean energy future.”
During a parallel event at the Milken Institute Global Investors Symposium in São Paulo, he pointed out that California successfully merges economic growth with environmental care. “We run the fourth largest economy in the world, with two-thirds of our energy being clean,” he noted, asserting that California is running on non-fossil fuel energy for part of the day about nine out of ten days this year.
Meanwhile, back in Washington, White House press secretary Taylor Rogers took a jab at Newsom, suggesting he wouldn’t be present at the conference if he were truthful about climate issues, mentioning the high energy costs for Californians.
“Governor Newsom flew to Brazil to promote what we call the Green New Scam, while Californians are stuck with high energy prices. It’s really quite embarrassing,” Rogers commented, urging Newsom and others to be realistic about climate change. She underscored that Trump’s policies aim to protect American interests from what she termed “green energy fraud.”
At COP30, former Washington governor Jay Inslee insisted that the U.S. isn’t entirely withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement, attributing part of the withdrawal to the federal government’s stance.
Additionally, during a business conference in Greece, Energy Secretary Chris Wright dismissed the Trump administration’s absence, labeling the gathering “essentially a hoax,” and hinted that he might attend the 2026 conference to share “common sense.”
