Washington Week with The Atlantic - Season 52 Episode 22

resident Trump announced that the U.S. would withdraw from the Paris climate accord, the historic 2015 agreement that commits nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and seek to renegotiate a new deal that's "fair" for the American people. The United States, the world’s second-largest greenhouse gas emitter, will join just two other nations – Nicaragua and Syria – to reject the climate change deal. Thursday's announcement is a campaign promise kept for the president who called climate change a "hoax." Global leaders urged him to reconsider during his overseas trip last week, and Trump's decision will raise questions about the U.S. role on the world stage. With the United States signaling its intention to withdraw and renegotiate, will other nations follow? Inside the White House, the decision pitted White House staffers against each other. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and adviser Stephen Bannon argued urged Trump to abandon the Paris agreement because it led to job losses. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and daughter Ivanka Trump joined environmental groups and corporate executives who believed the president should keep the U.S. commitment. Robert Costa will discuss President Trump's decision to exit the Paris Accord and the global ramifications with: Michael Scherer of TIME Magazine Indira Lakshmanan of The Boston Globe Jonathan Swan of Axios