Greta Thunberg 'wouldn't have wasted my time' talking to President Trump about climate change
Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg says she "wouldn't have wasted my time" speaking to President Donald Trump about climate change.
The Swedish 16-year-old, who has been traveling the globe, speaking to world leaders and organizing marches to raise awareness for the impacts of climate change, told the BBC's Today radio program that she didn't see the point of trying to talk to the U.S. leader about it.
While she almost bumped into him at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in September, Thunberg told the BBC that if she did come face-to-face with Trump, "I don't think I would have said anything because he's obviously not listening to scientists and experts, why would he listen to me?"
"I probably wouldn't have said anything, wouldn't have wasted my time," she added.
The teen said she thinks Trump may see the growing climate movement among young people as a "threat."
"Me, myself alone am not much of a threat, but it's that I'm a part of a big movement that they probably see as a threat," she said.
Trump has come after the teen before on social media, tweeting that it is "so ridiculous" that Thunberg was selected as Time magazine's 2019 person of the year and telling her to "chill."
"Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend!" the president wrote. "Chill Greta, Chill!"
Thunberg seemed to take it in stride. Shortly after, Thunberg changed her Twitter bio to read: "A teenager working on her anger management problem. Currently chilling and watching a good old fashioned movie with a friend."
While Thunberg has become a symbol of the youth-led climate change movement calling for urgent action, the Trump administration in recent years has taken steps to show it does not consider climate change a priority, including withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement.
Trump isn't the only world leader to have attacked the teen. President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil famously called her a "brat" earlier this month after she expressed concern for the slaying of indigenous people in the Amazon.
"Those attacks are just funny," Thunberg told the BBC of the personal attacks. "It means they are terrified of young people bringing change, which they don't want, but that is just a proof that we are actually doing something and they see us as some kind of threat."
Despite the international attention, Thunberg said she hopes to return to school soon after her gap year of activism and lead a "normal" life.
"I am really looking forward to going back to school and I just want to be as everyone else," she said. "I want to just be a normal teenager, but of course this isn't a normal situation."
