Trump unexpectedly turned up at the U.N. climate summit. He only stayed for 10 minutes.
President Trump made a surprise appearance at the United Nations climate summit Monday, but he didn't stick around for long.
Trump was expected to skip the gathering altogether — sure, he was scheduled to speak at a separate event focused on religious freedom and religious persecution, but the president has also never really been in tune with other countries when it comes to climate issues. That said, he showed up, listened to speeches from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (for whom he reportedly clapped), and then left. It all took about 10 minutes.
World leaders gathered in New York today with new proposals to tackle greenhouse gas emissions. And President Trump, who was expected to skip the event, made a surprise appearance.
Here’s what to watch for at today's climate change summit https://t.co/wgsFWbIzIA pic.twitter.com/Fwh39Jop34— POLITICO (@politico) September 23, 2019
Though Trump's appearance was brief, it didn't go unnoticed. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg reportedly thanked Trump for stopping by, and made what could be considered a veiled challenge to the commander-in-chief. "Hopefully our conversations here today will be helpful to you as you make climate policy," Bloomberg said. The quip reportedly drew a round of applause.
Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas), who hopes to challenge Trump as the next Democratic presidential candidate, was quick to weigh in on Trump's appearance. He wasn't all that impressed.
Climate change is the greatest existential threat we face—and our president thinks it's only worth 10 minutes of his time. https://t.co/e6dTK9oMBl
— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) September 23, 2019