Trump says 'something could happen' on climate accord

[webfact]

Trump says 'something could happen' on climate accord

By Richard Lough and Ayesha Rascoe

 

French President Emmanuel Macron (R) shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump during their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, July 13, 2017. REUTERS/Alain Jocard/Pool

 

PARIS (Reuters) - President Donald Trump held the door open to a reversal of his decision to pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord on Thursday, but did not say what he would need in return to persuade him to do so.

 

Trump, who has made few friends in Europe with his rejection of the 2015 Paris agreement and his "America First" trade stance, met with French President Emmanuel Macron as both leaders sought common ground to reset an awkward relationship.

 

"Something could happen with respect to the Paris accords, let's see what happens," Trump told a news conference. "If it happens, that will be wonderful, and if it doesn't, that'll be OK too."

 

Trump has said the Paris accord is soft on leading polluters like China and India, putting U.S. industry at risk.

 

"I respect the wish to preserve jobs, I think that's compatible with the Paris accord," Macron said at the joint conference.

 

"There is no sudden and unexpected change today, otherwise we would have announced it, but there is the shared intention to continue discussing these issues," the French president added.

 

Trump and Macron's relationship got off to a bumpy start, but both have an incentive to improve relations - Macron hopes to elevate France's role in global affairs, and Trump, seemingly isolated among world leaders, needs a friend overseas.

 

Trump came to France beset by allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, with emails released on Tuesday suggesting his eldest son welcomed an offer of Russian help against his father's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

 

Weeks after Macron hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Palace of Versailles, Trump will bask in the trappings of the Bastille Day military parade on Friday and commemorations of the entry 100 years ago of U.S. troops into World War One.

 

Macron welcomed Trump with a warm handshake and smiles, a contrast to the clenched-jaw greeting they shared at their first encounter in May.

 

"Emmanuel, nice to see you. This is so beautiful," the U.S. president told Macron as they met at the Hotel des Invalides where Napoleon Bonaparte and other French war heroes are buried.

 

SYRIA COOPERATION

 

For the 39-year-old Macron, France's youngest leader since Napoleon two centuries ago, the visit is a chance to use soft diplomacy to win Trump's confidence and set about influencing U.S. foreign policy, which European leaders say lacks direction.

 

Macron views it as counter-productive to isolate the United States on the world stage, and said he and Trump had asked diplomats to draw up in the coming weeks a concrete initiative aimed at preparing the future of Syria.

 

"On the Iraq-Syria situation, we have agreed to continue working together, in particular on the building of a roadmap for the post-war period," Macron said.

 

Trump said work was underway to negotiate a ceasefire in a second region of Syria.

 

On Friday, Trump will be guest of honour at France's July 14 celebrations, a year after a Tunisian man loyal to Islamic State ploughed a truck through revellers on a seafront promenade in Nice, killing more than 80.

 

During the U.S. election campaign, Trump said a wave of militant attacks showed "France is no longer France", and reprimanded the then-Socialist government for allegedly bowing its head to jihadists.

 

In bringing Trump to Paris, Macron has stolen a march on Britain's embattled Prime Minister Theresa May.

 

London's offer of a state visit for Trump met fierce domestic criticism and warnings that he would be greeted by mass protests.

An Elabe poll showed that 59 percent of French people approved of Macron's decision to invite Trump.

 

(Additional reporting by Michel Rose, Leigh Thomas and Andrew Callus; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-07-14

[klauskunkel]

The President of the United States talking with the President of France about his bowel movements:

"Something could happen, let's see what happens. If it happens, that will be wonderful, and if it doesn't, that'll be OK too."

... and then it happened, right then and there.

[williamgeorgeallen]

well i was all for trump but all he does is wind things back, climate control, boarder fence, cuba relations, health care. we need to see some going forward. preferably before the over inflated sharemarket has a crash.

Edited July 14, 2017 by williamgeorgeallen

[iReason]

Stand by for another about face...

[alanrchase]

Clear, concise policy from Trump again.

[IAMHERE]

Looks as if Trump doesn't mind America being taken to the cleaners on this Paris Accord as long as he gets something out of the deal. 

[Foozool]

My god, 4 years of this man. ?

[dunroaming]

Let's see what Trump says when he is back in Washington.  The great flip flopper at his most pathetic!

[coulson]

What a generic brush off

[Srikcir]

6 hours ago, IAMHERE said:

Looks as if Trump doesn't mind America being taken to the cleaners on this Paris Accord as long as he gets something out of the deal. 

You understand that America gets loses nothing tangible in the deal nor out of the deal.

The agreement is not binding, provides only the broadest of guidelines, any country can change its position to the extent it wants to contribute to reducing manmade climate change factors. If Trump wanted to deny all the terms of the agreement, he needed only to say so - leaving the agreement was unnecessary except as an ego trip for Trump to his base, ie.,

"I promised ignorance and I delivered ignorance."

[Jingthing]

9 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

The President of the United States talking with the President of France about his bowel movements:

"Something could happen, let's see what happens. If it happens, that will be wonderful, and if it doesn't, that'll be OK too."

... and then it happened, right then and there.

trump branded adult diapers? 

Entrepreneurs (French word!) -- please feel free to steal that millionaire idea.

They already have trump toilet paper in Mexico. 

[Jingthing]

trump likes the drama. 

It's already clear from G20 that there is no chance of a renegotiation of the Paris Accord just to appease the bombastic man baby clown American fake emperor. 

Macron doesn't have the power to change that.

So what's trump gonna do? Just cave and lose face? Not bloody likely. 

[mesquite]

6 hours ago, Foozool said:

My god, 4 years of this man. ?

Actually it will be eight.

[Jingthing]

Actually it will be eight.

Why not a 1000 year Reich?

[Pib]

4 hours ago, dunroaming said:

Let's see what Trump says when he is back in Washington.  The great flip flopper at his most pathetic!

Amen brother!   He's a flip-flopping master.   SAD! 

[Jingthing]

Not the brightest bulb in the box, but resistance member Bill Maher is actually starting to get it.  Now if only the TV resistance members could do the same.
 
 

What is he getting dude?

[Pib]

 

 

[Becker]

46 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

What is he getting dude?

That a huge part of the American electorate is so stupid that they would still vote for the man-child even when they're dying because they can't afford to see a doctor and their teeth are falling out because they can't afford a dentist.

As a special report in The Economist pointed out a couple of weeks ago the man-child's core base knows nothing about the politics of their chosen candidate. They vote for him even if some of the policies go against their own interests because they believe he is "on their side".

[Jingthing]

That a huge part of the American electorate is so stupid that they would still vote for the man-child even when they're dying because they can't afford to see a doctor and their teeth are falling out because they can't afford a dentist.
As a special report in The Economist pointed out a couple of weeks ago the man-child's core base knows nothing about the politics of their chosen candidate. They vote for him even if some of the policies go against their own interests because they believe he is "on their side".

Oh if you mean he might really win a second term then yes that would be a real threat. But I still think he somehow implodes in this term.

[Scott]

Off-topic posts and replies removed.

[Becker]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Oh if you mean he might really win a second term then yes that would be a real threat. But I still think he somehow implodes in this term.

For the sake of the world and especially the US I fervently hope so. It's been just six months but feels like a whole, crappy year already.

 

[Jingthing]

For the sake of the world and especially the US I fervently hope so. It's been just six months but feels like a whole, crappy year already.
 

Feels more like ten years.