It's official
Trump announces withdrawal from Paris Agreement
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.
Trump's decision to withdraw came despite the urging from fellow heads of state and even his own daughter, Ivanka Trump, to remain in the pact. Trump's chief strategist Stephen Bannon and EPA administration Scott Pruitt were both pushing heavily for Trump to withdraw.
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.