--- title: Al Gore: Donald Trump Tearing Down U.S. Standing description: Former Vice President Al Gore­ condemned President Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement in an interview Monday. canonical: https://time.com/4860888/al-gore-donald-trump-america-standing/ author: Jack Brewster article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-07-17T15:26:27.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:54:11.667Z article:section: Politics og:title: Gore Argues Trump Is 'Deliberately' Tearing Down U.S. Standing og:description: Echoing old Republican criticism of President Obama. og:url: https://time.com/4860888/al-gore-donald-trump-america-standing/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd3e92b1619bd50ff/6988d5f286f68efb616e5975/gettyimages-627821290.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Former Vice President Al Gore arrives at Trump Tower on December 5, 2016 in New York City. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Gore Argues Trump Is 'Deliberately' Tearing Down U.S. Standing twitter:description: Echoing old Republican criticism of President Obama. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd3e92b1619bd50ff/6988d5f286f68efb616e5975/gettyimages-627821290.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Al Gore Argues President Trump Is 'Deliberately' Tearing Down America's Standing ## Video: Global Reactions to the U.S. Withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord [Watch (HLS stream): Global Reactions to the U.S. Withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/0JDaMlrv.m3u8) (1:30)  _Published 2017-06-02. Leaders around the world react to Trump's announcement of the American withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord._ by [Jack Brewster](https://time.com/author/jack-brewster/) ## Jack Brewster Jul 17, 2017 3:26 PM UTC  Former Vice President Al Gore arrives at Trump Tower on December 5, 2016 in New York City. Former Vice President Al Gore arrives at Trump Tower on December 5, 2016 in New York City.Kevin Hagen—Getty Images by [Jack Brewster](https://time.com/author/jack-brewster/) ## Jack Brewster Jul 17, 2017 3:26 PM UTC Former Vice President Al Gore­ condemned President Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement in an interview Monday. “We’ve never had a president who’s deliberately made decisions the effect of which is tearing down America’s standing in the world,” [Gore said on the “Today” show](http://www.today.com/video/al-gore-i-d-hoped-trump-would-come-to-his-senses-on-paris-climate-pact-1001588803584). The one-time Democratic presidential nominee also attacked Trump for “undermining our alliances” and damaging America’s reputation in “many ways.” Gore–who has spent most of his post-political career [as a climate change activist](http://time.com/4565716/al-gore-donald-trump-election/)–has occasionally weighed in on the president’s decisions. In December, during the transition, [Gore met with Trump to discuss climate change](http://time.com/4578832/meet-the-people-hanging-out-in-donald-trumps-lobby/?iid=sr-link1). However, since the president decided to leave the Paris agreement, [the two have not been in contact](http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/17/al-gore-trump-presidency-reaction-240623). “I’d hoped that he would come to his senses about the Paris agreement,” he said. “But I was wrong.” Gore’s criticism echoes the disparaging remarks directed at Obama during his tenure as president by Republicans. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich [once said](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALlT6K4CfPs) that Obama is “in many ways the first anti-American president.” Gore added that the news of Donald Trump, Jr.’s meeting with Russian operatives was “some of the most troubling we’ve seen in a while.” “The months ahead will be a test for the American people,” he said. 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