After coming to an easy agreement on a statement denouncing terrorism, the G7 leaders were unable to persuade U.S. President Donald Trump into ratifying the 2015 Paris climate agreement that would significantly reduce U.S. energy independence.
“The issue of the Paris climate accord remains suspended, as President Trump is engaged in internal reflection on the matter,” the G7 leaders stated in a press release.
On Saturday morning, President Trump tweeted in the first person that he will make his final decision on the matter sometime next week.
I will make my final decision on the Paris Accord next week!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2017
The U.S. President seemed intent on keeping the issue of Islamic terrorism front and center, refusing to allow the more peripheral and controversial matter of climate change to derail his priorities for the meeting.
By many accounts, President Trump made a strong showing in his first meeting with heads of state.
Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, who chaired the second and final day of the G7 summit, noted that differences of opinion with President Donald Trump “emerged quite clearly in our discussion.”
At the same time, after two days of deliberations, the G7 leaders released a surprisingly compact set of accords, fruit of “more authentic” discussions with the presence of the new U.S. President, Gentiloni said.
“Discussing is always useful. I think that all of the leaders present, starting with President Trump, appreciated the informality with which one in this format… can discuss things calmly and freely.”
The American people chose Trump, he added, “so we are coming to terms with this choice.”
The President faces both internal and external pressure to yield to the climate change crowd, beginning with his daughter Ivanka and economic advisor Gary Cohn.
According to Cohn, the President’s views on the issue are evolving, and he is “leaning to understanding the European position.”
Follow Thomas D. Williams on Twitter Follow @tdwilliamsrome
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