President Donald Trump is expected to pull out of the Paris climate agreement, multiple news organizations are reporting, citing White House officials.
Administration sources told NBC News that Trump is leaning toward leaving the historic climate accord, but has not yet made a final decision. The president himself said in a Wednesday evening tweet that he would officially announce his decision on the accord from the White House Rose Garden at 3:00 p.m. Thursday.
@realDonaldTrump: I will be announcing my decision on Paris Accord, Thursday at 3:00 P.M. The White House Rose Garden. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
The news that Trump had made his decision was reported by The Associated Press, Fox News and Axios. The administration is reportedly still deciding how it will exit the agreement.
One option is to go through the established protocol for withdrawing from the accord, a process that would stretch out to the end of 2020, a White House official told Axios. Trump could also declare the Paris Agreement a legal treaty, which would require the Senate to approve it, the sources said.
It is unclear whether Trump has the votes. Twenty-two of 52 Senate Republicans urged Trump to leave the accord in a letter last week.
A final option is to withdraw from an international treaty, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which negotiated the Paris Agreement and other landmark climate deals.