Trump may have made a final decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, White House officials have told several major news outlets on Wednesday. Still, at least three officials told the Washington Post that the president remains undecided, and Trump himself has yet to make a statement, writing on Twitter that his announcement will come “over the next few days.”
I will be announcing my decision on the Paris Accord over the next few days. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2017
Some speculated that the leaks were planted to sway Trump’s final decision on an issue that has divided his few trusted advisors. White House economic advisor Gary Cohn, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, son-in-law Jared Kushner, and daughter Ivanka, along with pretty much every global leader and major American corporation, all urged Trump to remain in the agreement. Meanwhile, nationalists like Senior White House Strategist Steve Bannon and climate skeptics like Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt framed leaving as the only decision in line with Trump’s “America first” governing policy.
“Trump’s decision will be a self-inflicted wound on our allies’ trust in American leadership,” Democratic Representative Don Beyer of Virginia said in a statement.
The reports are circulating just days after Trump returned from his first international trip to the Middle East and Europe, after which German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Europe can no longer rely on foreign partners like the United States.
