Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has launched a scathing attack on Donald Trump, labelling him "the biggest con job in American history" during a press conference on Capitol Hill. The remarks came in response to Trump's recent anti-climate agenda and his decision to withdraw the United States from the UN COP30 climate summit.
A Stinging Rebuke on Climate Policy
Pelosi's comments were a direct rebuttal to Trump's September statement to the UN General Assembly, where he called the climate crisis "the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world". The Democratic leader accused the former president of "projecting" his own deceptive tactics onto the urgent issue of global warming.
The press event was convened by Democrats on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works to address the unprecedented absence of an official US delegation at the COP30 summit in Belém, Brazil. This marks the first time in the summit's history that the United States has failed to send representatives, a direct consequence of Trump withdrawing the nation from the Paris Climate Accord on his first day back in office in January.
The Sole Representative and Industry Influence
Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse emerged as the sole federal official to attend the international talks, though he was forced to do so as part of a climate research nonprofit's delegation after the Trump administration denied him an official US badge.
Whitehouse did not mince words, stating unequivocally that "Trump does not represent the United States … on matters related to climate". He asserted that the former president instead "represents the fossil fuel industry, and specifically his big billionaire fossil fuel donors".
The senator highlighted that the problem of fossil fuel industry influence predates Trump, pointing to what he described as "a long and fraudulent campaign of climate denial" and the impact of unlimited dark money in politics following the Citizens United ruling.
Public Opinion and Political Consequences
Exclusive new polling from Data for Progress, shared with The Guardian, reveals significant public support for climate action despite the administration's stance. The data shows that:
- 65% of US voters believe the country should undertake ambitious climate action even if other states do not
- This includes 85% of Democrats, 63% of Independents, and 47% of Republicans
- 55% of voters support a global phaseout of fossil fuels
- 54% said the US should wind down fossil fuel usage by the century's end
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries also spoke at the conference, calling it "shameful" that the Trump administration had ceded global climate leadership to rival China by skipping the COP30 summit.
Pelosi, who recently announced her retirement at the end of her term, reflected on her long involvement with climate diplomacy, recalling her first UN climate summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. She shared an anecdote about Al Gore's memorable speech at that event, after which he was approached by Bill Clinton to become vice-president.
The former Speaker concluded with a broader condemnation of Trump's impact, declaring him "the worst president of the United States for America's children" due to his policies on education, gun violence, and the environment.
