Multiple Democratic 2020 White House candidates slammed President Trump on Monday for beginning the formal withdrawal from the Paris climate deal.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the beginning of the yearlong process of pulling out of the Paris Agreement, which he said put an “unfair economic burden” on “American workers, businesses and taxpayers.”
{mosads}Several Democrats who hope to replace Trump took to Twitter to express their displeasure for his decision, including former Vice President Joe Biden, who called the act “shameful.”
“As the climate crisis worsens each day and California burns and Iowa floods, Trump continues to abandon science and our international leadership,” Biden tweeted.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) posted two tweets in response to the announcement, one from his senator account and one from his personal account that called the president an “international embarrassment.”
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) also criticized the president on Twitter, saying he is “eroding confidence in the U.S. & putting us on the wrong side of history.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) pledged to recommit to the Paris climate accord on her first day as president.
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock made the same pledge and condemned Trump for “putting polluters above people.”
South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg told MSNBC on Monday that the U.S. cannot solve the climate problem without international assistance, and the world cannot solve it without American help.
“Paris should be viewed as a floor, not a ceiling,” he said.
Trump announced in 2017 the U.S. would leave the Paris climate agreement, which is signed by every other country in the world.