--- title: Paris Climate Deal: Barack Obama Reacts to Trump Withdrawal description: "This Administration joins a small handful of nations that reject the future," Obama said in a statement canonical: https://time.com/4802148/paris-agreement-barack-obama-donald-trump/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-06-01T20:12:27.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:05:06.583Z article:section: Politics og:title: Barack Obama Responds to Withdrawal From Paris Climate Deal og:description: "I'm confident that our states, cities, and businesses will step up." og:url: https://time.com/4802148/paris-agreement-barack-obama-donald-trump/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd186c69a1aebd112/6988cfd497cdff51f46b0fa0/gettyimages-691259814.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3648 og:image:height: 2052 og:image:alt: President Donald Trump Makes Statement On Paris Climate Agreement og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Barack Obama Responds to Withdrawal From Paris Climate Deal twitter:description: "I'm confident that our states, cities, and businesses will step up." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd186c69a1aebd112/6988cfd497cdff51f46b0fa0/gettyimages-691259814.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Barack Obama Responds to President Trump's Withdrawal From Paris Climate Deal > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=b0fc1d31-d63d-4a08-9bf6-b831b1a7a8db&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: President Trump's Remarks Announcing Withdrawal From Paris Climate Agreement [Watch (HLS stream): President Trump's Remarks Announcing Withdrawal From Paris Climate Agreement](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/HAjA0Ju8.m3u8) (3:14)  _Published 2017-06-01. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday plans for the U.S. to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change, fulfilling a major campaign promise while hampering international efforts to slow global warming._ by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jun 1, 2017 8:12 PM UTC by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jun 1, 2017 8:12 PM UTC Former President Obama responded to President Trump’s announcement that the U.S. will [withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, ](http://time.com/4801134/paris-agreement-withdrawal-donald-trump-rose-garden/)a signature achievement of Obama’s two terms in office. In a statement issued Thursday, Obama said he is confident states and cities will continue pursuing a low-carbon future “even in the absence of American leadership.” “The nations that remain in the Paris Agreement will be the nations that reap the benefits in jobs and industries created. I believe the United States of America should be at the front of the pack,” Obama said in a statement. “But even in the absence of American leadership; even as this Administration joins a small handful of nations that reject the future; I’m confident that our states, cities, and businesses will step up and do even more to lead the way, and help protect for future generations the one planet we’ve got.” Nearly 200 countries signed onto the [Paris Climate Accord](http://time.com/4799404/paris-agreement-trump-withdrawal-climate/) in 2015, agreeing to adopt environmentally friendly practices in order to keep global temperatures from rising above 2 degrees Celsius. President Trump has said pulling out of the deal will kickstart “America first” environmental policies. In his statement, Obama suggested he believes the [private sector ](http://time.com/4799194/donald-trump-paris-climate-agreement/)will now take the lead. “The private sector already chose a low-carbon future,” Obama said. “And for the nations that committed themselves to that future, the Paris Agreement opened the floodgates for businesses, scientists, and engineers to unleash high-tech, low-carbon investment and innovation on an unprecedented scale.” Read the full statement below: --- > “” --- ## Transcript The United States will withdraw from the Paris climate accord, but begin negotiations to reenter either the Paris accord or really entirely new transaction. When terms that are fair to the United States, its businesses, its workers, its people, its taxpayers. As someone who cares deeply about the environment, which I do, I cannot, in good conscience, support a deal that punishes the United States, which is what it does. The World's leader in environmental protection while imposing no meaningful obligations on the World's leading polluters. This agreement is less about the climate. And more about other countries gaining a financial advantage over the United States. The rest of the world applauded when we signed the Paris Agreement. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] They went wild. They were so happy. I'm willing to immediately work with Democratic leaders To either negotiate a way back into Paris under the terms that ar fair to the United States and it's workers or to negotiate a new deal so if the obstruction is wanna to get us together with me let's make non obstructionist. We will all sit down and we will get back into the deal, and we'll make it good. We won't be closing up our factories and we won't be losing our jobs. We don't want other leaders and other countries laughing at us anymore, and they won't be. They won't be. I was elected to represent. The citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris. Foreign leaders in Europe, Asia and across the world, should not have more to say, with respect to the U. S. economy, than our own citizens and their elected representatives. Thus, our withdraw from the agreement represents a reassertion of Americas sovereignty. [ APPLAUSE ] Our Constitution is unique among all nations of the world. And it is my highest obligation And greatest honor to protect it, and I will. It is time to put Youngstown, Ohio, Detroit, Michigan and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania along with many, many other locations within our great country. Before Paris France, it is time to make America great again. 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