Ahead of the opening of the U.N. General Assembly, the Trump administration is putting out conflicting information about whether the United States will pull out of the landmark 2015 Paris climate accord. On Saturday, the White House doubled down on Trump’s threats to pull out of the accord. But on Sunday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson signaled President Trump may back away from this pledge. This is Rex Tillerson speaking on with John Dickerson on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson: “So I think the plan is for Director Cohn to consider other ways in which we can work with partners in the Paris climate accord. We want to be productive. We want to be helpful. The U.S. has—actually has a tremendous track record on reducing our own greenhouse gas emissions.”
John Dickerson: “So there’s a chance that if things get worked out, both on the voluntary side from the U.S., the voluntary restrictions for the U.S., that it could change, but then also, with China, there’s a chance the U.S. could stay in the accord, is that right?”
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson: “I think under the right conditions, the president said he’s open to finding those conditions where we can remain engaged with others on what we all agree is still a challenging issue.”