Trump says US could re-enter Paris climate deal

International Desk: Donald Trump has said the United States could re-enter the Paris climate change agreement and that he would have taken a “tougher stand” in Brexit negotiations than Theresa May.

The US president said the country could re-enter the Paris accord for a “completely different deal” but called the existing agreement a “terrible deal” and a “disaster” for the US.

Meanwhile, in comments on Brexit that will add to the pressure on the prime minister, Trump said he “would have negotiated it differently” and that he had “a lot of problems” with the European Union, warning of a major trade battle between the US and the bloc.

Trump made the comments in an interview with Piers Morgan for ITV, to be broadcast on Sunday night. A preview of the interview released on Friday showed Trump saying he was prepared to apologise for retweeting inflammatory videos by the deputy leader of the far-right group Britain First.

The US president also told Morgan he has “tremendous respect for women”, often posts on social media from his bed or at breakfast, and has not received an invitation to the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle “that [he knows] of” but is happy for the couple.

Trump was met with global condemnation when he announced in June 2017 that the US was pulling out of the climate agreement. The landmark treaty was signed by 195 nations after intense negotiations in 2015, with countries making voluntary pledges to cut carbon emissions in an attempt to restrict an increase in global temperatures to below two degrees celsius this century.

Trump said in the ITV interview that he was a “believer in clean air and clean water” but the Paris agreement would have been a disaster for the US. However, despite initially saying he was “completely out” of the accord, Trump said there could be a way back for the US.

Source: Agencies

risingbd/Dhaka/January 28, 2018/A K Azad