President Trump announced Thursday that he will seek to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement. Trump had promised during his campaign to leave the global climate pact, which seeks to limit carbon emissions in an effort to slow global warming.
In a speech Thursday in the Rose Garden, Trump condemned the Paris accord's "draconian financial and economic burdens" and said the U.S. would immediately cease complying with the agreement, though he left open the possibility of negotiating to re-enter the accord. Trump argued the agreement "disadvantages the United States to the exclusive benefit of other countries," leaving "American workers, who I love," to pay the price.
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The formal withdrawal process, which Trump plans to follow, could take as long as four years and possibly extend into the next presidential election; the tentative date for official withdrawal is Nov. 4, 2020, one day after the election.