Donald Trump · Republican · Major Decision
Announced U.S. Withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement
Jun 1, 2017
Donald TrumpEnergy & EnvironmentMajor DecisionFirst term (2017–21)
📜 View the official record on federalregister.gov
What happened
Trump announced the U.S. would exit the 2015 Paris Agreement, citing economic burdens on American workers and industry. Under the treaty's terms, formal withdrawal could not take effect until November 2020.
How it happened
Announced from the White House Rose Garden; the State Department later submitted formal notification. Withdrawal took effect November 4, 2020, and was reversed by Biden in 2021.
Documented impact
Positive impactcontested
Supporters said it removed non-binding pledges seen as economically costly.
The administration argued U.S. commitments disadvantaged domestic energy and manufacturing relative to competitors.
Negative impactsubstantiated
Made the U.S. the only nation to exit the accord and disrupted climate diplomacy.
The U.S. became an outlier among nearly 200 signatories; allies including France, Germany and Italy pledged to increase their own efforts.
Mixed impactsubstantiated
Spurred a sub-national response.
Thirty states and many cities committed to uphold Paris objectives independently of the federal government.
Sources
Every claim above links to its source. Primary record and cited reporting: