COPENHAGEN, Denmark

Denmark’s Climate Minister Lars Aagaard admitted Thursday that Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election left him with “knots in his stomach,” the news wire agency, Ritzau, reported.​​​​​​​

"The US has such a large economy and is such a wealthy country that no one can replace its role,” Aagaard told the agency. “That’s why it’s essential for the US to accept its shared responsibility and the reason I woke up with a knot in my stomach about what this could mean for COP29.”

Aagaard said there exists a certain likelihood that Trump’s win will leave US negotiators with limited bargaining power.

"The United States’ participation in international climate initiatives is crucial given the country’s economic power and emissions,” he said. “Power vacuums in politics are always filled, and this shift could create a more complex dynamic.”

He said the US political landscape could lead states in that country to take on greater responsibility independently. “My expectation remains that the US will continue moving gradually toward greener policies. Perhaps not as quickly, but progress will continue nonetheless,” he said.

Aagaard admitted that the US election has made it difficult for wealthy nations to collectively commit to the level of climate funding that Denmark and the EU see as fair,” he added.