Greta Thunberg is the face of future politics. No wonder Donald Trump can’t help calling her names

What’s the best way to shut down a protest? Climate change activist Greta Thunberg doesn’t have a huge fan sitting in the White House. This week, the 16-year-old was named Time magazine’s person of the year – the youngest person to receive the award since it was created in 1927.

Her hectoring style might not be to everyone’s taste, but the message she has delivered, with a ferocity and commitment that cannot be challenged, has brought millions of supporters onto the streets to protest about global warming.

On hearing the news, Donald Trump tweeted: “So ridiculous. Greta must work on her anger management problem, then go to a good old-fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!” Jair Bolsonaro, the president of Brazil, isn’t fond of Thunberg either, describing her as “a brat” because she complained about violence against the indigenous people in the Amazon. In retaliation, Greta said it was “shameful the world remains silent” about the actions of the logging industry. She shrugged off both insults, turning them into a joke.

Her message continues to resonate all over the world. Having sailed back across the Atlantic, she’s been speaking at the UN Climate talks in Madrid, where 500,000 people took to the streets to protest at the slow progress of negotiations a week ago. It’s revealing that two elderly men (Trump is 73 and Bolsonaro 64) can’t handle a teenage girl, and their reaction – to trash her reputation – shows how unnerved they are by someone who speaks from the heart.

Extinction Rebellion’s protests and Thunberg’s “school strikes for the climate” have brought environmental destruction into sharp focus. Now, polling reveals that two-thirds of the British public recognise there is a ”climate emergency” and three in four people say we are seeing the results of that already.

Unfortunately for Trump, Greta isn’t a stroppy teenager who can be sent to her room or threatened with being grounded. She is the face of the trans-global politics of the future. And he’s the dinosaur who will soon be extinct.