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Greta Thunberg tells Ellen DeGeneres it is a 'waste of time' talking to Trump about climate change

During the 16-year-old's appearance on the Ellen show, the TV host described her as "real and raw" as she walked on stage to David Bowie's Heroes.

BY KUNAL DEY

UPDATED FEB 26, 2020

Greta Thunberg, Ellen DeGeneres (Source : Getty Images)

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has told Ellen DeGeneres it would be a "waste of time" talking to President Trump about climate change. During the 16-year-old's appearance on her show, the TV host described her as "real and raw" as she walked on stage to David Bowie's Heroes.

The teen eco-warrior, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome, was asked how she became so passionate about environmental issues

Climate change activist Greta Thunberg speaks at a press conference before setting sail for New York in the 60ft Malizia II yacht from Mayflower Marina, on August 14, 2019, in Plymouth, England. (Getty Images)

DeGeneres also asked her about President Trump's tweet that appeared to mock her emotional speech at the UN in September, wondering whether she would "sit down" with him to "explain" the issue of climate change.

"I don't understand why I would do that", Thunberg replied. "I don't see what I could tell him that he hasn't already heard. And I just think it would be a waste of time, really."

Thunberg said she was alarmed about the climate after learning about it in school. "I just couldn't really believe it, because if this was really true then surely someone must have done something, then surely we would take it seriously", she said. "But no one took it seriously, so I started to read about it and of course, the more I read about it and the more I understood and once I fully understood I couldn't just look away anymore."

In this handout photo provided by One Voice: Somos Live!, Ellen DeGeneres speaks onstage during "One Voice: Somos Live! A Concert For Disaster Relief" at the Universal Studios Lot on October 14, 2017, in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images)

According to DeGeneres, they had been trying to get Thunberg on the show for almost two months. However, they had to wait as she had embarked on a two-week journey by yacht to New York before catching a train to Burbank, California, where the show is filmed.

President Trump tweeted about Thunberg's speech at the UN headquarters in New York following the event, saying she appeared to be "a very happy young girl."

"She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!" he wrote.

Following the controversial post, Thunberg updated her Twitter bio to describe herself as "a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future" in a veiled attack at the US president.