At COP30 in Brazil, Newsom Signs Pará Climate Deals and Condemns Trump’s Absence and 50% Tariffs

Overview

• In Belém, Gavin Newsom and Pará Governor Helder Barbalho signed three MOUs to deepen cooperation on biosustainable technology, Amazon bioeconomy development and wildfire prevention and response.
• Newsom criticized the lack of a U.S. federal delegation, arguing President Trump has ceded climate leadership to China and saying President Xi is “cheering.”
• He denounced the recent 50% U.S. tariffs on Brazil as a “middle finger” and called federal climate policy “stupid,” contrasting it with California’s clean‑energy push.
• COP30’s president said the United States has no official negotiators at the summit but is present through companies and subnational leaders, including Newsom and New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.
• During visits to Belém’s bioeconomy park, Newsom promoted California’s role as a stable partner, noting policies such as the state’s cap‑and‑trade program extension to 2045.