California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) scolded President Donald Trump on Monday for giving Brazil “the middle finger” by daring to impose tariffs on the South American nation.
Newsom, speaking at a Milken Institute event in São Paulo ahead of the COP30 climate doomer summit, lashed out at Trump for not participating in the conference hosted by the Brazilian government at the city of Belém.
“The hell’s going on in my country? Not one person from the administration. Show any respect to any of you. Forget politics. Disrespect. We’re in Brazil. One of our great trading partners. One of the world’s great democracies,” Newsom said.
“I mean, hell, home to all the — you need rare earth minerals. This is the country we should be engaging in. Instead, middle finger with 50 percent tariffs. That’s shameful. Forgive me. That’s an aside. Sorry,” he continued.
Newsom is presently visiting Brazil and is expected to travel to Belém this Tuesday to participate in COP30. The California governor told Politico he and his team were getting a “disproportionate number of calls” to meet on the sidelines of the event.
Like many other international heads of state, Trump did not attend last week’s COP30 Summit hosted by leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a two-day presidential gathering that served as an opening event to the broader series of COP30-related activities that will run in Belém through Friday, November 21.
The United States government did not send any high-level representative to the ongoing climate doom conference. Newsom told Politico that “not even a note taker” was sent by the U.S. government.
“We’re at peak influence because of the flatness of the surrounding terrain with the Trump administration and all the anxiety,” Newson reportedly asserted.
RELATED: Zeldin — Newsom and Bass “Need to Get Off of Their Asses” and Rebuild from L.A. Fires
Politico reported in addition to holding meetings with German and Chilean representatives, Newsom is expected to give plenary remarks and will then visit the Amazon rainforest to meet with indigenous communities.
Asked by Brazilian press on whether he would run for president, Newsom answered, “Nothing else matters but 2026 and taking back the House of Representatives.”
In July, President Trump signed an executive order identifying Brazil as a national security threat and imposed a 50 percent tariff on the country, citing the political persecution of conservative former President Jair Bolsonaro and the numerous acts of persecution and censorship committed by Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
De Moraes and other members of the top court sentenced Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison for “crimes against democracy.”
At press time, the court has not determined which reclusion center Bolsonaro will serve the sentence at. The former president, presently under a strict house arrest, was diagnosed with skin cancer in August. After months of continued refusal, Lula finally met with Trump in late October to discuss tariffs.
Read the full article here