Trump delays decision on Paris climate deal

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is delaying a decision on whether to withdraw from a landmark climate deal until after an international summit later this month.

That means the president will head to the G7 summit in Italy at the end of May amid continued global uncertainty over whether the United States will remain in the emissions-cutting deal struck in Paris under the Obama administration.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Tuesday that Trump wants to “continue to meet with his team,” seeking advice from both an economic and an environmental perspective as he works to make a decision.

A meeting for top advisers to discuss the deal was set for Tuesday afternoon but was postponed.

Trump pledged during the presidential campaign to renegotiate the accord, but he has wavered on the issue since winning the presidency. His top officials have appeared divided about what to do about the deal, under which the United States pledged to significantly reduce planet-warming carbon emissions in the coming decade.

Leading up to the expected Tuesday meeting, a number of high-profile businesses spoke out in favor of remaining in the deal. A group including Apple, Google and Wal-Mart signed a letter sent to Trump last week. A larger coalition signed on to run ads in the Washington editions of The New York Times and Wall Street Journal this week.

On Instagram Tuesday, renowned jeweler Tiffany and Company wrote a message to the president, saying “we’re still in for bold climate action. Please keep the U.S. in the Paris Climate Agreement.”

Ted Halstead, president of the Climate Leadership Council, said “there is a nearly unanimous position on the part of big business.” Halstead co-authored an opinion piece that ran in the New York Times Tuesday, titled “The Business Case for the Paris Climate Accord.”