Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., worked to assure the global community at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil that his state will continue its investment in green energy, while criticizing President Donald Trump’s decision to reverse U.S. policies meant to combat climate change. Newsom, considered to be a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2028, also warned against the Trump administration’s policies promoting more oil and gas, which he argues cedes the lead in green technology to China.
“We’re ceding cheap energy, green energy, infrastructure, supply chain manufacturing. We’re ceding economic power to other countries, notably China, taking advantage of that absence,” Newsom said. “And they’re going to clean our clock economically unless we wake up to the economic imperative and opportunities of low-carbon regrowth.”
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Newsom stated that if current policies continue, Beijing “will dominate the next great global industry” and called current U.S. leadership “dumb” when it comes to climate change.
Newsom pledges to ‘lean in’
“The United States of America is as dumb as we want to be on this topic, but the state of California is not,” Newsom said. “And so we are going to assert ourselves, we’re going to lean in, and we are going to compete in this space.”
The California governor is the highest-profile U.S. visitor at the conference, which had other U.S. governors and mayors in attendance. Newsom announced that he would serve as representative for the United States. That followed President Trump and his administration’s decision to skip the annual gathering. Newsom argues that the decision sends a message to the world of: “You don’t matter, we don’t care.”
Newsom suggested to the world community working to combat climate change that people within the United States are doing their best to work with them, despite actions by the Trump administration, like pulling the U.S. out of the 2015 Paris Agreement. The United States is the only one of the 195 nations to sign onto the agreement to withdraw.
“If there’s one message I want to deliver to all of you, it is that California distinguishes itself from the current occupant in the White House in Washington, D.C.,” Newsom said. “California is a stable and reliable partner.”
White House hits back
The White House pushed back against Newsom’s criticism, with the use of one of President Donald Trump’s often-used derogatory nicknames for the governor.
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U.S. crude oil production reached a record high in August 2024, averaging 13.4 million barrels per day, surpassing the previous record set in December 2023.
“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!” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a statement. “President Trump will not allow the best interest of the American people to be jeopardized by the Green Energy Scam. These Green Dreams are killing other countries, but will not kill ours thanks to President Trump’s common sense energy agenda.”
California’s renewable energy
California produces more electricity from renewable energy, including solar and wind, than any other state besides Texas, per The New York Times. Newsom has set a goal for his state to be carbon neutral by 2045. However, he has also recently made it easier for oil companies to drill in California, describing the move as “pragmatic,” noting that the state legislature endorsed the decision.
The move is a notable shift for Newsom, who has been a frequent critic of Big Oil. He threatened to sue ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, ConocoPhillips and others in 2023, accusing them of misleading people about the threat of climate change.
Reframing climate change
Newsom also pushed for Democrats to reframe the issue of climate change to Americans.
“It’s about affordability. It’s about time we frame it accordingly,” Newsom said about his efforts to increase the use of renewable energy in California. “We’re here to frame it in economic terms, in cost-of-living terms.”
Newsom shoots down 2028 talk
Newsom refused to answer questions about a potential presidential run in 2028 at the summit, saying he’s focused on the midterm elections right now.
“I don’t worry about 2028. I worry about fair and free elections. I’m worried about 2026 and taking back the House of Representatives and getting the speakership,” he told reporters at the climate summit.
