Donald Trump delays decision on Paris Climate Accords

Donald Trump delays decision on Paris Climate Accords



DONALD Trump says he’ll make a final decision on whether the US will stay in the Paris climate agreement next week. Mr Trump’s surprise announcement, in the form of a tweet on the final day of his lengthy international trip, comes after Mr 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. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter before the formal announcement.



Mr Trump was cajoled for three days — first in Brussels at meetings of NATO and the European Union, then in Sicily for G-7 — but will leave Italy without making clear where he stands. Under the G-7 agreement, 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.

Backing out of the climate accord had been a central plank of Mr 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 Mr 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 Friday of the president’s thinking.



Mr Trump, who will return to the White House under a cloud of scandal, started Saturday at the second day of the G-7 summit in Sicily, bringing to an end a nine-day trip that started in Saudi Arabia and Israel before moving on to three European stops.

The trip has largely gone off without a major misstep, with the administration touting the president’s efforts to birth a new coalition to fight terrorism, while admonishing partners in an old alliance to pay their fair share. “Big G7 meetings today. Lots of very important matters under discussion,” Mr Trump tweeted between events. “First on the list, of course, is terrorism. (hash) G7Taormina.” Mr Trump also touted a renewed commitment by NATO’s member to spend more on defence.



TRUMP CONSIDERING WHITE HOUSE CHANGES

Mr Trump is actively discussing major changes in the White House, including having lawyers vet his tweets and shaking up his top staff, as he grapples with the fallout from probes into his campaign’s dealings with Russia, according to several senior administration officials and outside advisers.

The Wall St Journal reports other revisions on the table include adding a roster of outside lawyers to help deal with the legal ramifications of the Russia investigation, officials and allies said.

“Everything is in play,” one Mr Trump adviser said. Meetings devoted to White House operations are scheduled for next week, after the president returns from his overseas trip, officials said.

The anticipated moves are the latest sign of how the investigation into Russia’s interference in last year’s election, and the circumstances of the president’s firing of FBI Director James Comey, is defining the new administration.

“We have nothing to announce,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer said on Friday.



TRUMP ADDRESSES MILITARY PERSONNEL IN SICILY

Mr Trump told US military personnel in an address at Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily that “you are protecting us and we will always remember that.”

As their commander in chief, he noted his desire to boost military spending and promised them “my complete and unshakeable support.” Trump also previewed remarks he’s scheduled to deliver at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on Memorial Day.

Melania Trump says she will never forget the women and children she met on her first trip abroad as first lady of the United States.

She has addressed US military personnel at a naval base in Italy before she joins President Donald Trump for the flight back to Washington after nine days on the road. The trip took the Trumps to Saudi Arabia, Israel, Belgium and Italy.

The first lady also thanked the service members for sacrificing on behalf of the U.S. She says it’s because of their “selfless commitment” and the sacrifices their families make that Americans are able to enjoy many freedoms.