Greta Thunberg Says Talking Climate Change With Trump Would Be 'Wasted Time'

The 16-year-old climate activist knows Trump isn’t listening to science

In a new interview, Greta Thunberg is laying the truth bare about Trump and his action (or lack thereof, more accurately) when it comes to climate change: talking to him about it is pointless, so why even bother?

Talking to the one and only Sir David Attenborough for BBC Radio 4’s Today show, Thunberg was asked what she would have said if she had the chance to talk to Trump during the climate summit earlier this year. She replied with 100% honesty and accuracy. “Honestly, I don’t think I would have said anything because obviously he’s not listening to scientists and experts, so why would he listen to me?” she said. “So I probably wouldn’t have said anything, I wouldn’t have wasted my time.”

Speaking at the Climate Action Summit in New York today, Greta Thunberg gave a passionate speech that cut right to the point of the climate crisis. “This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be up here,” she began before quickly turning emotional. “I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you? You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words and yet, I am one of the lucky ones. People are suffering.”

She’s opened the eyes of people around the world with her activism, and she was named Time magazine’s Person of the Year earlier this month. She was even nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. But she’s also been endlessly mocked by the President of the United States — a grown man in his seventies — because he has achieved none of those things. He doesn’t take her seriously, he pretends global warming doesn’t exist, and he bullies her cruelly any chance he gets.

So why would she talk to him if given the chance? He’s beneath her. Luckily she’s excellent at handling herself against his immature tirades.

He responded to Time magazine honoring Thunberg as Person of the Year by tweeting. Naturally.

“So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!”

Again, she jabbed back by changing her Twitter bio to: “A teenager working on her anger management problem. Currently chilling and watching a good old fashioned movie with a friend.”

During the new interview, she proves she’s got her priorities more in order than the leader of the free world (and most adults in general) by addressing the attacks against her online in the most perfect way.

“Those attacks are just funny because they obviously don’t mean anything,” she says. “I guess of course it means something — they are terrified of young people bringing change which they don’t want — but that is just proof that we are actually doing something and that they see us as some kind of threat.”