Trump admin delays decision to quit pact

The White House announced on Tuesday that President Donald Trump would make no decision on the United States’ future in the Paris climate change accord till June, after a G7 meeting.

The announcement by White House press secretary Sean Spicer encouraged advocates of the climate pact, who hope that Trump’s fellow heads of state can pressure the president to remain in the accord, first at a Nato summit meeting in Brussels next week and then at the G-7 meeting in Taormina, Italy.

As Trump embarks on his first foreign trip since assuming office, heads of state are expected to point out to him that withdrawing from the deal is likely to affect his standing and credibility on the world stage as he seeks to press other elements of his foreign policy agenda, such as trade and military efforts to suppress the Islamic State.

“All the European governments hope that President Trump will stay in the Paris Agreement, and the G7 can be the moment where he can measure the diplomatic cost of the pulling out,” said Laurence Tubiana, the lead French climate negotiator of the 2015 accord.

The push has started. On Monday, when Trump called President-elect Emmanuel Macron of France to congratulate him on his victory, Macron told him enforcing and strengthening the Paris accord would be a top priority for him.

Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have told Trump that they value upholding the Paris deal, and Tubiana and other climate diplomats say they expect that other G7 leaders will telephone Trump to convey the same message.

Opponents of remaining in the Paris pact, including the heads of conservative advocacy groups with close ties to the Trump administration, agreed that the delay could give the pact’s supporters an edge.