No Trump? No problem: Gavin Newsom steps in to represent the U.S. at the U.N. Climate Summit In Brazil
The California governor took charge in Trump’s absence at the U.N. Climate Summit In Brazil.
When Trump, in utterly unsurprising fashion, pulled back from high-level engagement at this month’s 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 30) in Brazil, Gavin Newsom seized the opening.
Newsom’s trip begins in São Paulo with an investor-focused event, then heads to Belém — the Amazon gateway hosting COP 30. According to his office, the move is a deliberate attempt to broadcast that, despite the federal retreat, U.S. representation at the climate summit will still be visible. He will be put to the test as he represents the country to the world like, ahem, a president should.
Newsom himself says he’s going “because of the complete abdication of the Trump administration that is joining the Saudis and Russia and the Gulf states.”
Colombia's President Gustavo Petro said 'Donald Trump is 100% wrong' and criticized his 'drill, drill, drill' stance after the US president skipped the World Leaders Climate Action Summit ahead of COP30 https://t.co/qHg3dnqmJ4 pic.twitter.com/Riwa61XOwk
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 6, 2025
“It’s doubled down on hydrocarbons as the rest of the world is sprinting ahead on low-carbon green growth,” he added. “For me, it is about our economic competitiveness, period, full stop.”
For Newsom, the timing and optics cannot be ignored. His attendance comes just days after California voters approved his redistricting measure, a political victory that further boosts his visibility on a national stage.
Still, the leap from state house to international summit room has its limitations. Governors cannot formally negotiate treaties on behalf of the United States, and Newsom will co-chair a forum for regional leaders rather than take a national-delegation role.
Gavin Newsom: Donald Trump is a historic president. He is the most historically unpopular president in modern history. In every critical category, Donald Trump is under water. He promised to make us healthier. He promised to make us wealthier. We're sicker and poorer. pic.twitter.com/DWw0PTA4Ka
— Blue Georgia (@BlueATLGeorgia) November 5, 2025
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From Belém’s Amazon coast, he will meet Indigenous stewards, business leaders and international counterparts, positioning his state as a global node of climate innovation even while the national government steps back. No Trump? No problem.
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