Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg on Thursday appeared to laugh off President Trump’s attack after the 16-year-old was recognized as Time magazine’s “Person of the Year.”
Trump took to Twitter earlier in the day to denounce the honor Thunberg received for her environmental activism, dubbing it “ridiculous.” He also called on Thunberg to “work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend!”
“Chill Greta, Chill!” he added.
Thunberg did not address Trump’s recent comments, but she changed her bio on Twitter to describe herself as a “teenager working on her anger management problem.”
“Currently chilling and watching a good old fashioned movie with a friend,” her bio reads.
Time announced on Wednesday that it was naming Thunberg its “Person of the Year” for drawing attention to the threat of climate change. She is the youngest person to ever to receive the honor.
“She became the biggest voice on the biggest issue facing the planet this year, coming from essentially nowhere to lead a worldwide movement,” Time’s editor-in-chief, Edward Felsenthal, said on NBC’s “Today.”
While many praised the decision, several allies of the president openly disparaged Time for honoring Thunberg over other nominees. Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, accused Time of choosing the teenager as “marketing gimmick” instead of honoring anti-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.
Thunberg, who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this year for her advocacy, gained global attention for her outspoken efforts to hold politicians accountable for the consequences of climate change. She began her advocacy in 2018 by handing out leaflets outside the Swedish Parliament saying, “I am doing this because you adults are shitting on my future.”
Her efforts quickly spread around the globe this year, with students from more than 1,500 cities participating in a worldwide demonstration in March.
Thunberg delivered blistering criticism of world leaders while speaking at the United Nations climate summit in New York in September. Trump, who briefly attended the event, appeared to mock Thunberg’s speech, sharing a video of her visibly angry as she demanded lawmakers to take action.
“She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!” Trump said on Twitter in September.
Trump’s open mocking of Thunberg on Thursday came just days after Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro described Thunberg as a “brat.”
“It is staggering, the amount of coverage the press gives that brat,” Bolsonaro, who has faced mounting scrutiny over his commitment to the environment, said.
Thunberg responded by adding “brat” to her Twitter bio.