Feb 16 - President Donald Trump issued harsh criticism of a clean energy pact finalized between California Governor Gavin Newsom and Britain's energy minister just hours after the agreement was signed on Monday. In remarks to a news outlet, Trump called it "inappropriate" for Britain to be engaging with the Democratic governor and also labeled Newsom "a loser," adding that "his state has gone to hell, and his environmental work is a disaster."
The accord, signed on Monday by Governor Newsom and British Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, commits the two parties to collaborate on clean energy technologies, explicitly including offshore wind. The deal is also designed to broaden opportunities for British firms to enter California's market.
Newsom, who is an outspoken critic of the president and has publicly weighed a run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, drew an immediate defense from his administration. A spokesperson for the governor said in an email: "Donald Trump is on his knees for coal and Big Oil, selling out America’s future to China. Governor Newsom will continue to lead in his absence. Foreign leaders are rejecting Trump and choosing California’s vision for the future."
The exchange between the governor and the president comes amid broader policy clashes over energy. Trump recently invited the oil and gas industry to nominate areas in Southern and Central California for possible offshore oil and gas lease sales as soon as next year. That invitation was criticized by Governor Newsom and environmental groups, who argued it would pose a threat to the state's ecosystems.
In a separate dispute earlier this year, Governor Newsom said he was prevented from speaking inside the official U.S. venue at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a move the governor attributed to the White House. The Davos incident and the recent UK-California agreement have both contributed to heightened tensions between the governor and the president.
The agreement between California and Britain focuses on cooperation around emerging clean energy technologies and market access, while the president's statements underscore the continuing political divide over energy policy and climate priorities as federal and state leaders pursue different approaches.