WASHINGTON — A top White House adviser affirmed Monday President Donald Trump plans to withdraw from the Paris climate accord during a morning meeting of climate ministers, according to a person familiar with his remarks.
Gary Cohn, Trump’s top economic adviser, reiterated that Trump plans to follow through with the withdrawal unless there’s a way to strike an agreement more favorable to the United States.
Cohn met with the climate ministers from more than a dozen large economy nations on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
The message came after a European diplomat told reporters over the weekend that a Trump administration envoy appeared to signal a softening stance during a meeting of climate ministers in Montreal.
A major point of contention between the United States and its global allies, the Paris climate accord issue reappeared just as Trump makes his major diplomatic debut at the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York.
If the administration were to reverse itself on dropping out of the accord, it would be a stark retreat on the issue for Trump and a complete break from his campaign promise to “cancel” the agreement, possibly signaling also that he’s moving closer to Democrats on some policy matters.
“There has been no change in the United States’ position on the Paris agreement,” White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said Saturday. “As the President has made abundantly clear, the United States is withdrawing unless we can re-enter on terms that are more favorable to our country.”
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