Donald Trump has mocked Greta Thunberg on Twitter, after the 16-year-old condemned world leaders for failing to combat climate change.
“You have stolen my dreams and my childhood,” the Swedish schoolgirl said during a speech at the UN climate summit on Monday.
“We are in the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairytales of economic growth. How dare you!”
“She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!” Mr Trump said while retweeting a clip of the teenager’s speech.
The president was not expected to attend Monday’s summit but dropped by briefly to listen to Angela Merkel’s remarks, before leaving without speaking.
The 73-year-old is a climate sceptic, who has previously denied the existence of climate change and called it a Chinese hoax.
He has also repealed carbon-reduction policies in the US and withdrew the country from the landmark Paris Agreement.
Michael Bloomberg, the UN’s special climate envoy, thanked the president for stepping by.
He said the summit may prove useful when the president formulated climate policy, drawing laughter and applause from the audience.
The US did not ask to speak at the conference but the White House drew attention on the assembly floor.
Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, said countries ”must honour our commitments and follow through on the Paris Agreement,” in a clear jibe at the Trump administration.
“The withdrawal of certain parties will not shake the collective goal of the world community,” Mr Yi said, to applause.
Ms Thunberg has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by legislators in the Swedish government, in recognition for her efforts to combat climate change.
Mr Trump claimed he ought to receive the prize “for a lot of things if they gave it out fairly, which they don’t,” during an interview on Monday.
