Longtime Newsom critic puts UN summit on notice if Dem governor is allowed to speak: 'Climate hypocrisy'

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An annual United Nations climate summit being held in the Amazonian city of Belém in Brazil is slated to include talks and appearances by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. 

However, California Republican gubernatorial candidate and former Fox News host Steve Hilton, a longtime critic of Newsom, is putting the summit on notice if they allow him to speak. 

This week, Hilton sent a letter to the heads of the COP30 summit, requesting that they deny anymore speaking roles for the California governor or face risking the credibility of the conference, citing the Democratic Party Governor's "climate hypocrisy." According to Hilton, California, under Newsom's leadership, has imported nearly half of all the c.rude oil drilled from the Amazon rainforest

"Governor Newsom has built his political image around climate virtue signaling while presiding over one of the most environmentally destructive hypocrisies in the world," Hilton wrote. "This oil comes from one of the most sensitive ecosystems on Earth, contributing to deforestation and the displacement of Indigenous communities … Instead of addressing this exploitation, Governor Newsom continues to promote himself as a global climate leader—jetting to international conferences to pose for cameras while his policies bankroll rainforest destruction."

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GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton (left) and California Governor Gavin Newsom (right) (Getty/AP)

Hilton notes that earlier this year, even members of California's Democratic-controlled state Senate unanimously called for an investigation into the state's role in funding the Amazonian oil trade. Oil drilling in the Amazon is rapidly increasing deforestation and destroying the rainforest's biodiversity, according to environmentalists, who argue California's reputation as a climate leader is undermined by its actions drilling oil in the South American rainforest.

Hilton, meanwhile, described Newsom's appearance at the summit as "political theater masquerading as leadership."

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom breaks ground at a new state park in a decade on Monday, April 22, 2024, at the Dos Rios property, in Modesto, Calif. The announcement comes as the state sets targets for cutting planet-warming emissions on natural lands. (AP Photo/Sophie Austin)

"To have Gavin Newsom lecture the world on climate justice while his administration promotes the decimation of the Amazon would be an insult to the conference and its members," Hilton wrote to the COP30 leaders. "The UNFCCC and COP 30 must not reward hypocrisy with a platform."

Newsom spoke Tuesday at the conference, during which he slammed Donald Trump for his failure to protect the environment, calling him an "invasive species" and "a wrecking ball" when it comes to progress on climate change. Newsom is expected to make appearances across the roughly two-week period that the summit is being held, including a trip deep into the Amazon Rainforest to meet with local residents and leaders.

This view shows the COP30 logotype at Docks Station in Belem, Para state, Brazil on October 24, 2025. (Photo by THOMAS MORFIN/AFP via Getty Images)

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Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom's office in response to Hilton's petition calling on COP30 to deny the California governor public appearances at the summit, but only received a six-word response.

"I'm sorry – who is Steve Hilton?" questioned Newsom spokeswoman Izzy Gardon.