• President Trump called the California-UK clean energy memorandum "inappropriate" and warned British officials that engaging with Newsom would not be "a very successful venture"
• The deal includes nearly $1 billion in clean tech investment from British firm Octopus Energy and marks the UK's 12th energy agreement with a U.S. state
• Newsom signed additional MOUs with Ukraine, Nigeria and Brazil at the Munich Security Conference — positioning himself as an alternative American voice on climate

MUNICH, GERMANY (TDR) — President Donald Trump unloaded on California Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday, trashing his new clean energy agreement with the United Kingdom as "inappropriate" and warning British officials against working with the Democrat — escalating a feud that increasingly looks like a preview of the 2028 presidential race.

The attack came just hours after Newsom signed a memorandum of understanding at the Munich Security Conference with British Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, committing California and the UK to cooperate on offshore wind, clean tech investment and climate research. The deal includes a commitment of nearly $1 billion in California clean tech investment from British firm Octopus Energy.

"The UK's got enough trouble without getting involved with Gavin Newscum." — President Donald Trump, to Politico

Trump's Warning to the UK

Speaking to Politico, Trump did not hold back on his assessment of Newsom or the agreement.

"Gavin is a loser. Everything he's touched turns to garbage. His state has gone to hell, and his environmental work is a disaster." — President Donald Trump

Trump called the deal "inappropriate" on both sides — inappropriate for Newsom to strike such agreements with foreign governments and inappropriate for the UK to engage with him. He then issued a direct warning to British leadership.

"People are leaving [California]. The worst thing that the UK can do is get involved in Gavin. If they did to the U.K. what he did to California, this will not be a very successful venture." — President Donald Trump, to Politico

The language mirrors Trump's previous attacks on Newsom, including the recurring use of "Newscum" — a nickname the White House has deployed through official spokespeople. At the COP30 climate conference in November, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers called it "embarrassing" that "Newscum flew all the way to Brazil to tout the Green New Scam."

What the Deal Actually Contains

The California-UK memorandum focuses on several concrete areas of cooperation. According to the UK government's official announcement, the agreement establishes a framework to boost transatlantic investment, strengthen collaboration between research institutions, support clean energy businesses accessing the California market and share expertise on building resilience to extreme weather.

Miliband framed the agreement in economic terms.

"This government's clean energy mission is about taking back control of our energy to cut bills, create jobs, and tackle the climate crisis. Strong international partnerships like today's announcement with the State of California strengthens opportunities for UK businesses and secures investment for our country." — Ed Miliband, UK Energy Secretary

Newsom struck a similar tone, emphasizing California's economic scale.

"California is the best place in America to invest in a clean economy because we set clear goals and we deliver. Today, we deepened our partnership with the United Kingdom on climate action and welcomed nearly a billion dollars in clean tech investment from Octopus Energy." — Governor Gavin Newsom

Nick Chaset, CEO of Octopus Energy US, described the practical applications of the partnership.

"As a British tech business and investor growing in the US, this MOU opens up opportunities to bring our smart technology to California, cutting energy bills and improving the customer experience." — Nick Chaset, CEO, Octopus Energy US

The deal marks the 12th such memorandum the UK has signed with individual U.S. states, including Washington and Florida. It sits separately from the UK's engagement with the Trump administration on energy, which has focused on a nuclear power deal signed between Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Trump in September.

Newsom's Munich Agenda: Building an International Profile

The UK deal was only one piece of a broader international strategy Newsom unveiled at Munich. According to the governor's office, Newsom also signed MOUs with the Ukrainian region of Lviv on trade and reconstruction, Nigeria on sustainable transportation and Brazil on wildfire prevention — activities more typical of a head of state than a governor.

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At a panel earlier in the conference, Newsom framed his international engagement as filling a vacuum left by the Trump administration.

"Donald Trump is temporary. He'll be gone in three years. California is a stable and reliable partner in this space, and it's important for folks to understand the temporary nature of this current administration." — Governor Gavin Newsom, Munich Security Conference

He also called Trump the most "destructive president" in American history on climate policy, referencing the administration's recent decision to revoke the EPA's endangerment finding — the legal foundation for federal greenhouse gas regulation.

"Pollution is an act of theft in the health of a nation. Never in the history of the United States of America has there been a more destructive president than the current occupant in the White House in Washington, D.C. He's trying to recreate the 19th century." — Governor Gavin Newsom, Munich Security Conference panel

Newsom is widely considered a leading 2028 presidential contender, and his European tour serves dual purposes — reassuring international allies while building foreign policy credentials that most governors never pursue.

The Constitutional Question: Can States Make International Deals?

Trump's use of "inappropriate" raises a question that has simmered since his first term: where does state authority end and federal foreign policy begin?

Memoranda of understanding between states and foreign governments are not uncommon. California alone has signed agreements with Australia, China, Mexico, Denmark, British Columbia, Chile, Nigeria and now the UK, among others. These non-binding agreements typically cover areas like environmental cooperation, trade promotion and academic exchange — areas within state regulatory authority.

However, the Constitution's Compact Clause requires congressional consent for states entering agreements that increase their political power relative to the federal government. Whether clean energy MOUs cross that line is legally untested in recent precedent, though critics of Newsom's approach argue he is conducting shadow diplomacy that undermines federal foreign policy.

Supporters counter that California's economy — the world's fourth largest — gives it legitimate standing to engage international partners on trade and regulatory issues, particularly when federal policy diverges sharply from state priorities.

The Energy Policy Clash

The Trump-Newsom confrontation extends well beyond personal insults. The two represent fundamentally different visions for American energy.

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Trump has described climate change as a "hoax", withdrawn the U.S. from the UN climate framework, revoked the EPA's endangerment finding, called wind energy a "con" and invited offshore oil drilling proposals for the California coast. His administration has also cut funding for offshore wind development and disrupted hydrogen hub plans in the state.

Newsom's California has moved in the opposite direction. The state has reduced greenhouse gas emissions 21% since 2000, reached two-thirds clean energy in 2023, increased battery storage capacity by over 2,100% during his administration and attended COP30 in Brazil as the most prominent American official present after the Trump administration boycotted the summit.

Conservative critics argue California's green policies have produced the second-highest electricity rates in the nation after Hawaii. Former Trump official Rich Goldberg has argued that states like California are "undermining U.S. energy dominance." Energy analyst Isaac Hoffman told Fox News Digital that Newsom's policies "invited energy scarcity in the Golden State."

The White House previously blocked Newsom from speaking at the official U.S. venue at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called Newsom "economically illiterate" during that same event.

Meanwhile, the UK finds itself navigating between the two. While acknowledging "open disagreements" with the Trump administration on clean power, Starmer's government has pursued nuclear cooperation with Washington while simultaneously deepening clean energy ties with California and other states — a balancing act that Trump's Monday comments suggest he does not appreciate.

Does a state governor signing international clean energy agreements represent legitimate economic development or inappropriate shadow diplomacy — and should the federal government have authority to prevent states from engaging foreign partners on issues where state and national policy diverge?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from Politico's interview with President Trump, the UK government's official announcement, Governor Newsom's office, reporting by Mediaite, Yahoo News UK, MarketScreener, BusinessGreen, TIME, NBC News, The Hill, Fox News, and CalMatters.

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