President Donald Trump says he’ll make a final decision on whether the US will stay in the Paris climate agreement next week. Trump’s surprise announcement, in the form of a tweet on the final day of his lengthy international trip, comes after Trump declined to commit to staying in a sweeping climate deal, refusing to give into intense international pressure.
Earlier on Saturday, the other six members of the G-7, a group of some of the world’s wealthiest nations, voted to abide by the Paris climate agreement, according to a person familiar with the talks.
Trump was cajoled for three days first in Brussels at meetings of NATO and the European Union, then in
Sicily for G-7 but he has to make a decision. Under the deal, the Trump administration will be given more time to consider whether it will remain committed to the 2015 Paris deal to rein in greenhouse gas emissions. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter before the formal announcement.
Backing out of the deal had been a central plank of Trump’s campaign and aides have been exploring whether they can adjust the framework of the deal even if they don’t opt out entirely.
Other G-7 nations leaned heavily on Trump to stay in the climate deal, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel saying “We put forward very many arguments.”
“His views are evolving, he came here to learn and get smarter,” Gary Cohn, national economic council director, said on Friday of the President’s thinking.