White House officials tried to answer questions about Trump's exit from the Paris deal

I am happy, my wayward

WASHINGTON — Shortly after President Trump appeared in the Rose Garden on Thursday and announced his decision to pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord, a pair of White House officials spoke with reporters about the move. They could not provide answers to any of the major questions about the withdrawal, including how Trump came to his decision and whether the president believes in the science behind climate change.

Although Trump had expressed interest in reaching a new agreement that he said would be more favorable to the U.S., the White House representatives provided no information on what that might look like or how the accord could be revised when other countries have said it cannot be renegotiated.

In his Rose Garden speech, Trump framed the move as the fulfillment of his campaign promises and suggested the climate pact unfairly disadvantaged the American economy.

“The United States will withdraw from the Paris climate accord, but begin negotiations to reenter either the Paris accord or an entirely new transaction on terms that are fair to the United States, its businesses, its workers, its people, its taxpayers — so we’re getting out,” Trump said.

The White House officials, who had offered to shed light on the thinking behind the announcement but did not want to be named, were asked which specific elements of the deal would need to change for it to earn Trump’s support. They would not answer beyond saying it should be “better” and “fairer.”

More than 190 countries joined the Paris Agreement after talks in 2015. It is designed to slow the pace of global warming by reducing emissions. Nicaragua and Syria are the only other countries that are not part of the pact.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. is the world’s second biggest emitter of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels, behind China. Shortly after Trump’s announcement, France, Italy, and Germany issued a joint statementsaying the Paris Agreement “cannot be renegotiated.”

The White House officials were asked why Trump expects other countries would be willing to restart complex negotiations now that the U.S. has pulled out. They would not explain how the renegotiation process might work but expressed confidence it could be successful.