Gavin Newsom blasts Trump’s absence at COP30: “He’s abandoned any sense of duty”
California Governor Gavin Newsom sharply criticized U.S. President Donald Trump for skipping the United Nations COP30 Climate Change Conference in Brazil, accusing him of “abandoning any sense of duty, responsibility, or leadership.”
Speaking in Belem on November 11, Newsom said the Trump administration’s failure to send top-level officials to the global climate summit showed the U.S. had “become a footnote” in international climate discussions. “It’s an abomination. It’s a disgrace,” Newsom said, urging state and local leaders to fill the leadership gap, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.
The Democratic governor, seen as a potential 2028 presidential contender, used his appearance at COP30 to position California as a counterweight to Trump’s policies. Highlighting the state’s record in renewable energy and pollution control, he said California would “not cede economic power to China” in the race for clean energy innovation.
Newsom’s remarks came as reports surfaced that the Trump administration is weighing a new plan to allow offshore oil drilling along California’s coastline. “He intentionally aligned that to the opening of COP,” Newsom said, calling the proposal “dead on arrival” and pointing out that Trump did not propose similar drilling near his Florida estate.
The governor also condemned the president’s foreign policy, denouncing recent U.S. air strikes against alleged drug-smuggling vessels as violations of international law. “I believe in the rule of law. I don’t believe in the rule of Don,” he said, urging global leaders to resist what he called Trump’s “wrecking ball presidency.”
At a separate event titled America Is All In, Newsom told attendees that Trump’s power was “temporary,” encouraging world leaders to continue engaging with U.S. states and cities committed to climate action. “He’s an invasive species,” Newsom said. “But America’s story doesn’t end with him.”
The COP30 summit in Belem has drawn delegations from nearly 200 countries, with China, the EU, and Brazil pledging deeper cooperation to tackle climate change — a stage where the U.S. federal government’s absence has not gone unnoticed.
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