Climate activist Greta Thunberg issued a stark message to American voters on Friday, ahead of the US presidential election scheduled for November 5. In a statement shared on social media, Greta Thunberg criticised both major candidates, Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris, for their roles in perpetuating systemic issues like US imperialism, environmental degradation and human rights violations. She labelled both candidates as complicit in global injustices, yet warned that Trump represents a “more dangerous” choice for the future of the world and humanity.
The 21-year-old activist’s statement centred around her dissatisfaction with the candidates’ records on foreign policy and human rights. Greta Thunberg accused Donald Trump and Kamala Harris of having “blood on their hands” due to their support for actions in the Middle East that have led to mass casualties, including the deaths of over 40,000 innocent civilians and children in Gaza.
As the US approached the election, Greta Thunberg warned voters of the “profound consequences” their decision could have for the environment and international stability. “No matter if Trump or Harris wins,” she said, the United States "a country built on stolen land and genocide on Indigenous people” will continue to drive the world into deeper inequality and escalating climate crises. She asserted that the nation’s political structure, irrespective of which party is in power, supports an imperialist and hyper-capitalist agenda detrimental to global welfare.
Greta Thunberg’s critique further questioned the Democratic Party’s credibility on progressive values, calling out Harris’s self-portrayal as a “feminist” and “humanitarian.” She argued that supporting policies that lead to the bombing of civilians contradicts these principles. “It is not in any way ‘feminist,’ ‘progressive’ or ‘humanitarian’ to bomb innocent children and civilians—even if it is a woman in charge,” Thunberg said, expressing her disillusionment with what she perceives as hypocrisy in American political rhetoric.
In her message to American voters, Thunberg urged citizens not to “settle for the least worst option,” emphasising that meaningful democracy involves continual accountability, not just casting a vote. She called on the public to hold their elected officials accountable “every hour of every day,” especially when it comes to policies that harm the environment and human rights.
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Greta Thunberg concluded her statement by encouraging Americans to take an active stand against policies they believe to be unjust. “Be uncomfortable, fill the streets, block, organise, boycott, occupy,” she urged, advocating for civil resistance as a means to address the “extreme hypocrisy” and “catastrophic consequences” of American foreign policy.