Kerry: ‘People are going to die’ due to Trump’s withdrawal from Paris climate deal

Former Secretary of State John Kerry said “people are going to die” because of President Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement. 

“People are going to die because of the decision Donald Trump made,” Kerry said in an interview with The Guardian published on Friday. “My kids and my grandkids are going to face a difficult world because of what Donald Trump has done.”

{mosads}The Guardian questioned Kerry about a variety of subjects, including many he writes about in his book, “Every Day is Extra,” that was released in September. 

In it, Kerry details the Obama administration’s work to secure both the Paris climate deal and the Iran nuclear deal. Trump withdrew the U.S. from both of the agreements in his first two years in office. 

But Kerry said that he does not take Trump’s actions personally, adding that he feels “better than a lot of people think” about the Paris deal. He noted that Trump’s withdrawal does not affect the other 194 countries that agreed to curb global greenhouse gas emissions through individual, nonbinding national plans. 

He added that countries such as France, Britain and Russia have talked with the foreign minister of Iran to evaluate how the nuclear deal can move forward. 

“I’m sorry for the world,” Kerry said. “I’m sorry for my country, which looks ridiculous. Look, I’ve known all my life that this is a tough business, that politics is hard — that there are ups and down and if you personalize them you’re never going to survive.”

Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, has repeatedly criticized Trump throughout his presidency. He’s attracted speculation about a potential run against Trump in 2020, and he told The Guardian that he hasn’t ruled it out. 

“I’m just going to think quietly about whether I think it’s … necessary,” he said. “Whether I feel I can bring something to the table that’s essential, that somebody else can’t.”