How President Trump Decided to Exit the Paris Agreement
In the end, there really wasn't much of a debate. President Trump had his mind set on pulling out of the Paris climate agreement since the campaign trail and no push by family, CEO or pope was going to sway his thinking, aides said after Trump made his thinking official Thursday. Citing some dubious statistics and and a commitment to the working class, Trump rejected the pleas of global leaders and climate advocates, saying he was elected to act in what he perceives to be the best interest of the American people, not the world. Whether his decision was the correct one will be clear enough in time, and the four-year withdrawal process ensures that the issue will be a central component of the next presidential election. The White House maintains that Trump is serious about being open to renegotiating the agreement to make it fairer to the U.S. but officials can't point to any specific asks of the president. European leaders are making clear that there will be no renegotiation of the landmark agreement, and China is seeing an opportunity to step up to a global leadership role. Additionally, White House officials have been ducking on the president's personal beliefs on climate science for days. Macron trolls Trump. Why Trump mistakenly called a shooting a terrorist attack. And Trump's love of drama. Must Reads, Despite Paris Accord Exit, Companies Expect Little Change Shareholder demands and state rules have already pushed firms to address climate change Wall Street Journal, How the Trump Administration's Secret Efforts to Ease Russia Sanctions Fell Short Civil servants and Congress blocked it Yahoo, White House Orders Agencies to Ignore Democrats' Oversight Requests Trump's aides are trying to shut down the release of information that could be used to attack the president Politico, Trump Announces Withdrawal From Paris Agreement TIME's Justin Worland on the announcement, Trump Hands the Chinese a Gift The Chance for Global Leadership An opportunity they've long desired New York Times, Trump Tilts America First' Toward America Alone' What the Paris decision means Associated Press, Trump Adviser Cohn Open to Concessions on U.S. Debt Ceiling Breaking with Mnuchin Bloomberg, Sound Off, "I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris"  The key sentence of President Donald Trump's speech announcing the Paris withdrawal, "Make Our Planet Great Again"  French President Emmanuel Macron speaking after President Trump announced the U.S. would begin withdrawing from the Paris climate accord, Bits and Bites, White House adviser Trump to decide whether to block Comey testimony Reuters, Kellyanne Conway Declines to Say If President Trump Thinks Climate Change Is a Hoax TIME, Trump admin appeals travel ban case to Supreme Court CNN, Putin to Megyn Kelly Your underage daughter' could hack an election NBC, Fact Check Holes in Trump's reasoning on climate pullout Associated Press, President Trump Called the Philippines Violence a Terror Attack. Local Police Say Otherwise TIME, France, Germany and Italy to President Trump Paris Climate Agreement Can't Be Renegotiated Associated Press, White House eyes Bannon ally for top broadcasting post Politico, Barack Obama Responds to President Trump's Withdrawal From Paris Climate Deal TIME, MIT Researchers Say Trump Misunderstood the Research He Used to Justify His Paris Agreement Exit TIME, French President Emmanuel Macron Trolls Donald Trump Make Our Planet Great Again' TIME, For President Trump, decisions accompanied by drama Associated Press, James O'Keefe's Targets Sue Undercover Filmmaker for 1 Million TIME