The President of the United States, Donald Trump, speaking at the rose garden of the White House announced that the United States would no longer be part of the Paris Climate Accord, which was agreed last year by 192 countries. President Trump defied global pressure including those from the allies and announced the withdrawal by calling it a bad deal for the U.S. economy. “In order to fulfill my solemn duty to protect America and its citizens, the US will withdraw from the Paris climate accord,” Trump said. He added, “As of today, the US will cease all implementation” and explained that implementing the pact would have the US cost trillions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of lost industrial job, with massive reductions in the production of paper, cement, iron and steel, coal, and natural gas. He said, “This agreement is less about the climate and more about other countries gaining financial advantages over the US”. The US, under the Trump administration, will continue to be the cleanest and most environmentally friendly country in the world,” but not at the cost of American prosperity, he added. While global leaders including the allies are unhappy with President Trump’s decision, his supporters would feel that he has kept his promise. In a May 2016 campaign speech on energy policy, Trump said he would cancel the Paris treaty. "Any regulation that's outdated, unnecessary, bad for workers or contrary to the national interest will be scrapped and scrapped completely," he said.

In his speech, he added that his administration will begin negotiations to reenter either the Paris Accord or any other climate treaty on terms that are fair to the United States. However, the leaders of Europe has scrapped President Trump’s renegotiating position. In less than an hour after President Trump’s decision the newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni released a joint statement dismissing any opportunity for renegotiation and promising to step up their own support for the Paris agreement. The statement says, “We deem the momentum generated in Paris in December 2015 irreversible and we firmly believe that the Paris Agreement cannot be renegotiated since it is a vital instrument for our planet, societies, and economies”. It also says that in absence of US funding, Europe would step up its efforts to support developing countries, in particular, the poorest and most vulnerable, in achieving their mitigation and adaptation goals.