Trump accuses Greta Thunberg of being an actress as he retweets criticism of the teenage climate change activist
DONALD Trump today doubled down on his criticism of outspoken climate activist Greta Thunberg by retweeting one of his supporters who branded the teen an actress.
"Keep up the great work Kellie!" Trump tweeted sharing a message posted on the account of @opinion8edkellie which had panned Thunberg's tearful address to the UN.
"What an actress!" read the tweet. '"She's getting the best education socialism can steal. I won't be held hostage by someone who just got a learner's permit.
"Sorry kiddo! Tell Al [Gore] to try again."
Trump's retweet came after he had earlier mocked the Swede following her tearful appearance at the United Nations Climate Summit by calling her a "very happy young girl".
The 16-year-old activist was seen breaking down as he slammed the assembled world leaders by saying they had "stolen" her childhood.
She has now been tipped to win the Nobel Peace Prize after bookies slashed the odds on her taking the prestigious gong.
However, on Monday Trump took aim at the teen tweeting: "She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!"
Trump's initial tweet came after the campaigning young Swede was pictured glaring at him as he arrived at the summit.
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin also targeted Thunberg, by suggesting she may have been manipulated to serve the interests of others.
He said: "I don't share exultation about Greta Thunberg."
Putin then called her a "kind and sincere girl" harshly adding who doesn't understand complex global issues like cleaner energy in developing countries.
Putin added: "It's deplorable when someone is using children and teenagers in their interests."
Thunberg had said: "I shouldn't be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to us for hope.
"How dare you. You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction and yet all you can talk about is money. You are failing us."
Trump did not stay for Greta's speech, but a video of the pair in the lobby of the UN headquarters in New York has gone viral.
As the president made an unexpected entrance at the event, Greta's expression changed into an ice-cold glare.
She went on to tell leaders they would never be forgiven if they failed to tackle rising temperatures.
The Swedish teen, who travelled to the US by yacht to avoid flying, said she should not be up on stage, but should be in school on the other side of the ocean.
She said: "People are suffering, people are dying, entire ecosystems are collapsing, we are in the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and the fairy tale of endless economic growth. How dare you?
"How dare you continue to look away, and come here saying that you are doing enough, when the politics and solutions needed are still nowhere in sight."
She told the gathered politicians she did not believe they understood the situation, because if they did and continued to fail to act, they would be "evil" and she refused to believe that.
The teenager said emissions should be cut to keep temperature rises to 1.5C, beyond which scientists have warned the impacts of climate change become much more severe.
And she warned that the situation could not be solved by "business as usual" and some technological solutions.
"The eyes of all future generations are on you. If you choose to fail us, I say we will never forgive you."
She added: "Right now, right here is where we draw the line. The world is waking up, change is coming, whether you like it or not."
After the video of Trump and Greta went viral, the US President took to Twitter to describe her as a ";happy young girl".
He tweeted: "She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!"
The American leader – a climate change sceptic – was not originally scheduled to attend the summit as he was hosting a session on religious persecution in the same building.
He sat down but stayed for just 15 minutes at the climate summit, entitled ‘A Race We Can Win, A Race We Must Win’ and convened by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
China, France, Germany, India and Russia and about 70 other countries were expected to make announcements concerning climate change at the summit.
Also expected to be announced is that some of the world's largest pension funds and investors, responsible for managing $2.4 trillion have committed to making their portfolios carbon neutral by 2050.