California Governor Jerry Brown attacked President Donald Trump for withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accords on Thursday.
“I would even say, this is an insane move by this president,” Brown said on a conference call hosted by the nonprofit World Resources Institute, according to the Los Angeles Times. Brown also predicted that Americans “will not tolerate this kind of deviant behavior from the highest office in the land.”
The Paris agreement, which was negotiated in 2015 and signed in 2016, was non-binding and was never submitted to the U.S. Senate by the Obama administration for ratification, meaning it was never the law of the land. However, critics had long argued that it would hurt the U.S. economically by committing to emissions reductions that would hurt domestic energy supplies and raise energy prices, without having any significant positive effect on climate.
But Brown has made climate change his signature issue, and vented his anger on Thursday — so much so that he even used the term “resist” to describe his opposition to Trump’s policy, after earlier rejecting the left’s use of the word “resistance” as offensive. “Donald Trump has absolutely chosen the wrong course … California will resist because his effort is misguided,” Brown told the conference call Thursday, according to the Sacramento Bee.
Ironically, that same day, the Democrat-controlled State Assembly rejected a bill that would extend the state’s controversial cap-and-trade program. Five Democrats pulled their support at the last minute, according to the San Jose Mercury News. The bill will reportedly be reconsidered.
On Friday, Brown heads to China to strengthen “progressive” ties — flying, of course, with an entourage and producing plenty of greenhouse gases along the way.
Meanwhile, California has joined New York and Washington state in a new “U.S. Climate Alliance” that intends to obey the Paris agreement, even without national participation. “The three-state coalition aims to reduce emissions 26-28 percent from 2005 levels, meet or exceed the targets of the federal Clean Power Plan and serve as a forum to sustain existing climate programs and share best practices,” according to Southern California Public Radio.
Gov. Brown argued that “California’s economy and America’s economy are boosted by following the Paris agreement,” according to Bay Area public radio station KQED — although high energy costs have been driving businesses out of the state, and businesses that have benefited from climate change policies have tended to be subsidized by the government. One such is Tesla, run by Elon Musk, who announced Thursday that he would be withdrawing from a presidential advisory council in response to Trump’s decision to pull out of Paris.
San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, a Republican — and possible candidate for governor — reacted to the Trump administration’s decision by committing his city to continue its efforts to fight climate change, though he did not explain what appreciable or measurable impact San Diego’s efforts were expected to have on the global climate.
The Hollywood Reporter resorted to racism in its attack on Trump’s decision: “It’s become a depressingly regular occurrence to see a bunch of middle-aged white men in the Rose Garden celebrating yet another way to destroy years of scientific or social progress.
In his conclusion, the Reporter‘s Frank Scheck added: “Ever the narcissist, [President Trump] simply can’t bear the thought of anyone still living on the planet after he’s gone.”
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He was named one of the “most influential” people in news media in 2016. He is the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.