Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Trump pulled out of Paris climate deal because he's 'jealous' of Obama, Tim Kaine says

The former vice presidential candidate says that Trump is surrounded by science deniers

Clark Mindock
New York
Saturday 03 June 2017 10:20 EDT
Comments
Kaine said that Trump withdrew from the Paris accord because he's 'jealous' of Obama
Kaine said that Trump withdrew from the Paris accord because he's 'jealous' of Obama (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Former vice presidential candidate and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine says that Donald Trump decided to pull the US out of the Paris climate accord because he’s jealous of Barack Obama’s achievements.

“Why did Trump really walk away from #ParisAgreement? He's surrounded by science deniers and fossil fuel junkies,” Mr Kaine wrote on Twitter.

The senator followed that up with speculation that Mr Trump is simply jealous of the man who inhabited the White House a year ago.

The president is “jealous of Obama accomplishments. But in the end, American innovative spirit is stronger than his insecurities,” he wrote.

Mr Trump announced this week that the United States was withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement, sparking outrage both stateside and among the global community.

Leaders in France, Germany, and Italy released a joint statement condemning the decision, and said that the deal wasn’t negotiable. America’s neighbours to the north also expressed displeasure with the decision, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has reportedly been reaching out to American governors to talk about efforts to mitigate climate change.

In withdrawing from the Paris accord, America joins a small group of nations to have not consented to the global effort to reduce carbon emissions. Just two other countries — Nicaragua and Syria — have abstained from the accord. Nicaragua abstained because the deal didn’t impose mandatory emissions reductions, and therefore didn’t go far enough. Syria, with the ongoing turmoil caused by the civil war there, wasn’t able to negotiate effectively as a result of sanctions placed on the government there.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in