At the virtual G20 Summit over the weekend, President Trump defended his decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord. He said he did it to protect American workers.
“The Paris Accord was not designed to save the environment. It was designed to kill the American economy. I refused to surrender millions of American jobs and send trillions of American dollars to the world’s worst polluters and environmental offenders.”
He claimed since withdrawing from the Paris Accord, the United States has reduced carbon emissions more than any other country in the world. He said, at the same time, the United States has become energy independent—and is now the world’s top producer of oil and natural gas.
“Every day we are proving that we can protect our workers, create new jobs, and safeguard the environment without imposing crippling mandates and one-sided international agreements on our citizens.”
U.S. withdrawal took effect on Nov. 4—the day after the election.
The press secretary said he also “discussed the historic achievements made in the United States and around the world in empowering and investing in women, and called on all countries to do more.”