White House slams Newsom’s ‘disrespect’ remark at COP30 after Trump skips climate talks

WASHINGTON, DC: The White House blasted California Governor Gavin Newsom after he accused President Donald Trump of showing disrespect by skipping the United Nations climate talks (COP30) in Brazil, calling the governor’s appearance there “embarrassing” and “insincere.”

In a sharp statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers accused Newsom of hypocrisy, saying he “flew all the way to Brazil to tout the Green New Scam” while Californians shoulder some of the highest energy costs in the country.

“Governor Newscum 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.” 

Gavin Newsom calls Trump’s COP30 absence ‘shameful’

Speaking Monday at the conference in Belem, Brazil, Newsom expressed shock that the Trump administration declined to attend COP30, calling it an insult to global leaders working on climate policy.

“I literally came out here. I’m just stunned,” Newsom said. “I’ve got four kids. The hell is going on in my country? Not one person from the administration showed any respect to any of you. Forget politics. Disrespect. … Instead, [President Donald Trump showed you the] middle finger with 50% tariffs. That’s shameful.”

Newsom’s office later issued a statement defending his trip, saying, “As Trump abandons people and the planet, Governor Newsom heads to COP30 in Brazil.” When asked by the Daily Caller News Foundation how he traveled to Brazil, Newsom’s team tersely replied: “commercial airline.”

White House hits back over ‘climate facade’

The White House’s criticism comes as Trump continues to tout his “commonsense energy agenda,” arguing that renewable-focused policies have failed to protect American workers.

“These Green Dreams are killing other countries,” Rogers added, “but will not kill ours thanks to President Trump.”

Trump himself also weighed in on Truth Social, blasting environmentalists for allegedly supporting infrastructure projects that harmed the very ecosystems they claim to defend.

“They ripped the hell out of the Rainforest of Brazil to build a four lane highway for Environmentalists to travel,” Trump wrote, referring to the controversial Avenida Liberdade highway.

According to a BBC report from March, Brazilian developers cleared thousands of acres of rainforest to make way for the road leading to the COP30 site. However, local authorities denied that the project was built for the conference, saying construction plans predated Brazil’s selection as host. 

Trump–Newsom clash exposes deep US divide on climate policy

Newsom’s trip underscores growing tensions between Trump’s White House and Democratic state leaders over the global climate agenda. While Newsom framed his attendance as proof of America’s continuing engagement with environmental policy, Trump officials characterized it as political theater.

The fiery exchange highlights the widening divide in how US leaders approach climate diplomacy, one side accusing the other of abandoning science, and the other condemning what it calls “performative greenwashing.”