Democratic adviser Podesta says US will remain vigilant against climate change amid Trump win

Climate diplomat and Democratic adviser John Podesta told foreign officials that the U.S. would continue to fight against climate change even if it isn't a priority of President-elect Donald Trump.

“This is not the end of our fight for a cleaner, safer planet," Podesta said, according to Politico. "Facts are still facts. Science is still science. The fight is bigger than one election, one political cycle in one country."

Podesta made these remarks at the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference, which started Monday.

“While the United States federal government under Donald Trump may put climate change action on the back burner, the work to contain climate change is going to continue in the United States with commitment and passion and belief,” Podesta stated. 

Podesta has been an adviser to former President Barack Obama and was chairman of Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. 

When Trump was on the campaign trail, he said he would remove the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement for the second time. 

Podesta took a shot at Trump, calling the election results "bitterly disappointing," referring to Trump's climate change policy plans, adding “That is what he has said, and we should believe him.”

“The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail,” wrote Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump transition team, in an email. “He will deliver.”