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Trump allowing China to 'dominate' clean energy, Newsom

says

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Newsom says US is now 'dumb' on climate, 'California is

not'

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California has the world's No. 4 economy

By Valerie Volcovici

BELEM, Brazil, Nov 11 (Reuters) -

California Governor Gavin Newsom assured an audience at the

COP30 climate summit in Brazil that his state would continue to

prioritize green technology, while blasting U.S. President

Donald Trump's "dumb" decision to reverse the federal

government's course on climate action.

Speaking at an event with Germany's vice minister for

climate and state-level officials, he lamented the Trump

administration's attacks on the fast-growing clean energy

economy as ceding the market to China.

"China is flooding the zone and will dominate in the next

great global industry," Newsom said in the first of several

scheduled appearances at the U.N. climate summit in Brazil's

Amazon city of Belem.

"The United States of America is as dumb as we want to be on

this topic, but the state of California is not. And so we are

going to assert ourselves, we're going to lean in, and we are

going to compete in this space," he said.

A strident political foe of Trump, Newsom has for months been

teasing a run for the White House in 2028.

Spectators pressed up against a plexiglass barrier to watch

him speak on one panel midday Tuesday. Dressed casually in a

white business shirt in the sweltering tropical heat, Newsom

made a point of casting climate change as a nonpartisan issue --

and listed climate actions made by two Republican presidents

from California, Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon.

Though California is just one of 50 U.S. states, its economy

is the world's fourth-largest - making it a key player in

influencing markets and energy policy.

Flanked by U.N. security guards, Newsom was holding meetings

with other officials from some of the 195 governments

participating in the summit.

He said California's partnership on the issue was secure.

"But we can't do that without all of you ... So we're here

with an open hand, not a closed fist."

On Monday, Newsom spoke with investors at a conference in

the Brazilian financial hub of Sao Paulo, telling them the

vacuum in U.S. climate leadership was "jaw-dropping."

Newsom has touted California's embrace of green tech,

highlighting that the state has seven times more renewable

energy jobs than fossil fuel jobs and reminding people that

electric vehicle giant Tesla was founded in California.

Trump, in contrast, has falsely dismissed the issue of climate

change as a "hoax" and aggressively sought to boost global use

of polluting fossil fuels. Washington has conspicuously snubbed

this year's COP30 summit.

Some diplomats worried that Trump's Republican administration

might try to disrupt the summit from afar.

Newsom, a Democrat, said last month that he is mulling a

presidential run in 2028. He has started to parrot Trump's brash

style of messaging on social media.

Last week, California voters backed his proposal to redraw the

state's voting districts to offset redistricting in other states

aimed at boosting the number of congressional seats held by

Republicans.

On Tuesday, Newsom noted that Trump's tenure was set to end in

January 2029, even as Trump occasionally teases that he wants to

seek a third term.

"He's the most unpopular president in U.S. history. That's

why he's trying to rig the election," Newsom told reporters.

"Trump is temporary. He's reckless. He's chaotic," Newsom

added. "People need to stand up. You need to stand up to a

bully."