The US president ended up skipping the climate summit as the Swedish activist told leaders, ‘you are failing us’

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Greta Thunberg briefly crossed paths with Donald Trump at the United Nations in New York on Monday.

Thunberg, the Swedish climate activist, fixed Trump with a steady stare as he arrived at the UN to attend a meeting on religious freedom. The US president decided to snub a major UN climate summit, held on the same day.

Thunberg’s steely look at Trump prompted an immediate response on social media. Julián Castro, the Democratic presidential contender, tweeted the video with the words “I think a lot of us can relate.”

Thunberg may well have had Trump in mind when she addressed the UN climate summit, telling world leaders “you are failing us” due to their sluggish response to the climate crisis.

Trump has repeatedly questioned climate science, vowed to withdraw the US from the Paris climate agreement and set about scrapping rules limiting carbon pollution.