Trump has tantrum over UK climate deal

The UK has signed a deal with California to collaborate on green energy initiatives and boost investment.

However, US president Trump has been vocal in his opposition to the agreement. As such, the move is an unusual tactic for Starmer’s Labour, which has so far sucked up to the far-right dictator like its life depends on it.

The UK government announced that the California deal will connect the UK’s clean energy sector with the Californian market. Beyond this, the agreement will also see the two governments share expertise on issues like protecting biodiversity and resilience in the face of extreme weather.

Energy secretary Ed Miliband signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the deal with Californian governor Gavin Newsom on 16 February in London. The MoU itself affirmed that both governments:

support the goals of the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, recognize the urgency of addressing global climate change, and aim to strengthen bilateral cooperation to decarbonize their economies, protect residents from the worst effects of climate change, promote sustainable growth, secure the resources needed for the energy transition, enable research exchange and technology advancement, and develop skilled and modern workforces

Trump tantrum

The UK-California MoU is one of 12 similar agreements with other US states. These include the Democrat-led Washington and Republican-led Florida.

However, the deal has immediately enraged Donald Trump. He stated that it was “inappropriate” for the UK “to be dealing with him (Newsom).” Governor Newsom has been a notable opponent of Trump’s rule within the Senate, particularly regarding both climate policy and immigration.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration backed the US out of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. However, Newsom has used his recent transatlantic tour to assure European leaders that Trump’s climate hostility is “temporary” in the grand scheme of US politics.

Notably, the UK-California deal specifically commits the US state to follow the UN Framework Convention, in spite of Trump’s withdrawal.

‘Gavin is a loser’

In an interview with Politico, Trump displayed his typically childish displeasure:

The UK’s got enough trouble without getting involved with Gavin Newscum. Gavin is a loser. Everything he’s touched turns to garbage. His state has gone to hell, and his environmental work is a disaster.

The US dictator continued:

The worst thing that the UK can do is get involved in Gavin. If they did to the UK what he did to California, this will not be a very successful venture.

Devastating wildfires recently ravaged California, with Trump accusing Newsom of mismanaging the state’s response. A spokesperson for the Californian governor, meanwhile, highlighted that the Trump administration was withholding disaster funding, stating that:

The Trump Administration refused a routine wildfire recovery meeting — a rejection we’ve never seen before — even as LA families near a year without long-term federal financial help. The message to survivors is unmistakable: Donald Trump doesn’t care about them.

Starmer the suck-up

The move to anger Trump is an unusual one for the Labour Party, which has thus-far been a keen ally of the US far right.

Recently, Starmer dutifully deployed aircraft carriers to the Arctic Circle. The move seen by some commentators as an act of deference to Trump’s ‘defence gap’ narrative, with which he tried to justify the annexation of Greenland.

Last month, Starmer failed even to condemn Trump’s blatantly illegal attack on Venezuela and kidnap of president Maduro. Beyond this, Labour has repeatedly claimed that the US “keeps us safe” under the Trump regime.

In September 2025, the Labour government celebrated a £150bn deal with Trump. Meanwhile, commentators described the agreement as a thinly veiled mechanism for US firms to asset-strip UK wealth. The list goes on and on.

However, regarding the UK-California climate agreement, we at the Canary aren’t exactly convinced that Starmer is finally growing a backbone. If he thinks this one small move to ruffle Trump’s feathers will make up for a litany of fawning in the face of the far right, he’s got another thing coming.

Then again, there’s always the possibility that Labour didn’t consider that dealing with a vocal Trump opponent might piss off America’s fascist-in-chief. You’d think that kind of thing might be obvious to anyone with an ounce of political wherewithal, but this is Starmer’s Labour we’re talking about.

Featured image via the Canary