Greta Thunberg is pissed off.
The teenage environmental activist accused today’s leaders of selling out her future in a heated appearance at the United Nations on Monday. She gave one of the biggest culprits, U.S. President Donald Trump, an absolutely frigid staredown when the two crossed paths before her speech.
Thunberg and Trump never interacted at the summit in New York City, but a brief video recorded at the UN entrance shows Trump blustering through the room where Thunberg was waiting to give her address. The video starts with a closeup on Thunberg, who appears to let out a huff as Trump walks into the room. The camera then zooms out as Trump marches through the frame, seemingly oblivious to her presence.
Trump stopped to answer questions from reporters.
Thunberg just glared.
The clip generated fierce reactions online, where many suggested it highlighted a generational gap in addressing climate change. Here was Thunberg, 16, staring down Trump, 73, moments before she stepped out on stage to accuse world leaders of failing her generation.
“You all come to us young people for hope,” she later said. “How dare you.”
Photos of the staredown also generated a tide of viral reactions on social media. One photo caption suggested Trump is a dinosaur and Thunberg an asteroid.
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Some compared her to Lyanna Mormont, the fierce child leader of a noble house in Game of Thrones.
Trump supporters read the interaction differently, with many of them applauding the 73-year-old for ignoring a teenager.
“President Donald Trump walks past Greta Thunberg because he does not bow to 16-year-olds,” users Carmine Sabia wrote.
In her speech at the UN, the young climate-change activist from Sweden rebuked world leaders for failing to act aggressively on climate change. She didn’t single out any leaders but she likely has a lot to discuss with Trump, who has taken aggressive actions to slash environmental protections in the U.S. while ignoring the science of climate change.
WATCH: Trump denies damning report on climate change in November 2018
“You are failing us, but the young people are starting to understand your betrayal,” Thunberg said. “The eyes of all future generations are upon you and if you choose to fail us, I say: we will never forgive you.”
WATCH: Greta Thunberg blasts world leaders on climate change
Trump appeared to take a sarcastic shot at Thunberg on Twitter later in the day. He retweeted a video of her angry message and described her as a “happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future.”
Right-wing pundit Michael Knowles also attacked Thunberg on Fox News, calling her “mentally ill” on Monday evening in an apparent reference to her autism. Trump has promoted Knowles’ work in the past.
“The climate hysteria movement is not about science,” Knowles said during a segment on Fox’s The Story. “If it were about science, it would be led by scientists, rather than by politicians and a mentally ill Swedish child who is being exploited by her parents and by the international left.”
Fox News later apologized for Knowles’ comment and said he would not be asked back as a guest in the future.
“The comment made by Michael Knowles, who was a guest on The Story tonight, was disgraceful — we apologize to Greta Thunberg and to our viewers,” the network said in a statement to various news outlets.
The attack echoed a similar one that Maxime Bernier, the People’s Party of Canada leader, levelled at Thunberg early this month when he called her “mentally unstable.”
Far-right groups have repeatedly attacked Thunberg during her climate-change crusade.
Thunberg didn’t directly respond to any of the attacks that emerged from her appearance at the UN on Monday. Instead, she changed her description on Twitter to read: “A very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future.”
She is slated to appear at a climate march in Montreal for one of those strikes on Friday.
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