The tale of two Trumps means sustainable city leaders must spin their own story

History may not repeat itself but, as Mark Twain reputably put it, it often rhymes. Leaders of cities that are working towards achieving greater sustainability can be forgiven for mumbling to themselves: “Here we go again.” Four years after Donald Trump left the White House, he is back with a raft of policies that appear to threaten the long-term viability of urban life.

The president will take the United States back out of the Paris Agreement that has committed its members to work towards limiting rises in global temperatures that will impact cities particularly heavily. He has taken sweeping measures to reduce immigration and repatriate some migrants that will impact employers in many US cities. He may claw back some measures under the Inflation Reduction Act that has poured millions of dollars of public money into clean energy investment.

It is easy and comforting to remember that cities proved united and resilient against the first Trump administration, both within the US and without. Four years ago he withdrew his country from the Paris Agreement and made a host of noxious remarks about migrants but city leaders continued to push out measures aimed at reducing pollution such as ULEZ in London and a hike in parking taxes on SUVs in Paris.

But Trump 2.0 may be more threatening than the first version. Previously he brought in professional government servants to provide efficiency but one by one they fell out with the president as his policies left a bad taste in their mouths. He has learned from that, bringing in loyalists such as former FOX News host Pete Hegseth, former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard as intelligence chief despite voicing pro-Russian views, and Robert F Kennedy, an anti-vaccinator, as Health Secretary.

Furthermore, his administration has the support of an oligarch of multi-billionaires: Mark Zuckerburg, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai, and Elon Musk, the world’s richest person. This might not seem to have anything immediately negative for cities, but it is a sign that Trump is less likely to be forced to change course.

Cities United

Leading city voices such as the C40 Cities have broadcast their intended resilience. As Sadiq Khan, London’s mayor and co-chair of the lobby group, has said, their work has only become “more urgent”. He has committed to strengthen collaboration with state and city partners across America to maintain the core commitments of the Paris Agreement, while showcasing how investing in environmentally friendly technologies can create economic benefits globally. His pledge was echoed by Brandon Johnson and Kate Gallego, mayors of Chicago and Pheonix, respectively.

Photo by Ethan Spratt on Unsplash

While American city leaders continue on their drive towards urban sustainability, this could be the time for Europe to shine. In response to Trump's decision to withdraw, European leaders meeting at the Davos forum strongly reaffirmed their commitment to upholding the Paris climate accord and its goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

European cities have often been at the forefront of action on sustainability, backed by the resources of the European Union. The EU Cities Forum in Krakow in June could act as a rallying point for cities of all sizes that want to make meaningful progress towards sustainable urban development. Four years may seem like a protracted period to endure but urban sustainability has a history going back decades, one must rely on the hope that the positive trends of the past will repeat themselves — or at least rhyme a little.