Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and California Gov. Gavin Newsom met at COP31 in Antalya, Turkey, to discuss climate cooperation. (Foto: Instagram)
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday, Nov. 12, during the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP31, in Antalya, Turkey. After their private meeting, which lasted about 15 minutes, Newsom said he wanted to deepen ties between California and Brazil, with an emphasis on environmental issues. It was the first time the two leaders had met.
Newsom said on social media that their conversation focused on strengthening ties and advancing shared climate goals. He also expressed interest in expanding cooperation in three areas: clean energy, carbon markets and climate resilience. In a post about the meeting, he described it as an opportunity to build closer California-Brazil ties and make progress on common climate objectives.
The meeting builds on environmental cooperation between Brazil and California. In September 2025, the two governments established a partnership focused on developing carbon-pricing policies, clean transportation and measures to improve air quality. The agreement also includes initiatives for environmental conservation and biodiversity protection.
Newsom has become one of the Democratic Party’s prominent critics of President Donald Trump. As governor of California, one of the country’s most populous and economically significant states, he has stepped up his clashes with the Republican president, particularly since 2025. Their rivalry has also played out on social media, where Newsom has adopted features associated with Trump’s style, including all-caps posts, emphatic punctuation and images created with artificial intelligence. The approach has raised his national profile and helped establish him as a leading Democratic figure.
Newsom has also criticized the Trump administration’s trade policies toward Brazil. He described U.S. tariffs on Brazilian goods as illegal and harmful and questioned the close ties between members of the Trump family and the Bolsonaro family. In September 2026, during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Newsom said he was “very concerned” about the possibility of U.S. interference in Brazil’s elections, citing political connections between the two families.
After Lula defeated Flávio Bolsonaro in Brazil’s October presidential election, Newsom congratulated Lula on social media and voiced support for partners he said stand up for democracy. Near the end of his second term as California governor, Newsom has also increased his participation in international events, further raising his profile within the Democratic Party.
