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2513d ago / 10:45 PM UTC

Trump Pulls U.S. Out of Paris Climate Agreement

GLOBAL DEALS

The United States will pull out of a landmark global coalition meant to curb emissions that cause climate change, President Donald Trump announced, keeping one of his bigger campaign promises.

"The United States will withdraw from the Paris climate accord," Trump said to applause from the crowd gathered in the White House Rose Garden.

He added that the U.S. will begin negotiations to re-enter either the Paris accord or a new treaty on terms that are better for American businesses and taxpayers.

As a candidate, Trump repeatedly lambasted his predecessor for the focus placed on combating climate change, laughing off the Obama statement that climate change is the biggest threat the planet currently faces.

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2482d ago / 4:17 PM UTC

Poll: Global Opinion of U.S., Trump Down Since Election

GLOBAL DEALS

“The world is going to respect us again,” the president said on the campaign trail repeatedly. “Believe me.”

Five months into his administration, a new Pew poll reveals the opposite. Global opinions of the president, and the nation he leads, has fallen since Trump’s election: just 22 percent of the rest of the world has confidence in Trump, while 39 percent have an unfavorable view of the United States (up from 26 percent at the end of the Obama’s presidency.)

Just two countries have more confidence in Trump than they did in Obama at the end of his presidency: Israel, with a 7 point more favorable view, and Russia, which has a 42 point more favorable view.

 

2548d ago / 5:47 PM UTC

100 Days In: How's Trump Doing on Global Deals?

GLOBAL DEALS

Status: Some action, little progress

Trump kept his campaign promise to withdraw the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which he said on the trail was badly negotiated and harmful to American workers.

On the other global deals, he has accomplished few of his promises: He has not withdrawn the U.S. from the trade deal NAFTA, though he announced late Wednesday that he's begin renegotiating it. He also has not removed the U.S. from the Paris Climate Change Agreement. His budget did, however, propose cancelling the billions of planned U.S. funding to United Nations climate change efforts, a step towards keeping that promise.

On the matter of global adversaries, Trump vowed to be tough on Iran and has issued sanctions on the nation over some missile tests in February. Still, he has yet to make good on his promise to unravel the nuclear deal his predecessor struck with the country — in Trump’s eyes, “one of the worst deals I’ve ever seen.” His administration said in mid-April that Iran was complying with the sanctions-relieving nuclear deal at present and subsequently continued the sanctions relief the president had condemned from the campaign trail. The White House said at the time they were reviewing the deal still, and Trump argued that Iran was violating the "spirit" of the deal, which may set the stage for future action.

Meanwhile, after promising to label China a currency manipulator within his first 100 days, he reversed himself entirely in April. "They're not currency manipulators," Trump told the the Wall Street Journal.

After an unorthodox call with the president of Taiwan in December and the suggestion that he might not abide by the One China policy, Trump agreed to honor it in February. The move came during a phone call with the Chinese president, who had reportedly only agreed to take if Trump publicly stated support for the One China policy.

Early calls with global allies have also proved problematic: A phone call with one of America's top allies, Australia, saw the president reportedly berate the Australian prime minister over a refugee deal, boast over his election win, and end a scheduled hour-long call after just 25 minutes. They have since appeared to mend ways and the Australian Prime Minister plans to meet with Trump in New York City next month.

2548d ago / 3:21 PM UTC

Trump Agrees Not to Terminate NAFTA 'At This Time,' Says He'll Renegotiate

GLOBAL DEALS

Donald Trump tweeted that he’d begin renegotiating the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement on Thursday, fitting the first step on a core campaign promise just under the wire ahead of Saturday’s 100 days marker.

Trump campaigned repeatedly on his promise to renegotiate or withdraw from the deal, running televised ads on it while deriding from the campaign trail as “the worst trade deal maybe ever signed anywhere.” The deal was a bludgeon Trump used to criticize his opponent, Hillary Clinton, whose husband implemented the deal after it was negotiated by his Republican predecessor.

For a president who called the deal “a total disaster” that caused “carnage” and was “horrible," the renegotiation is a tempered step. After initial reports that he might take steps to leave it on Wednesday, Trump agreed to let it stand for now while the three nations — Mexico, Canada, and the United States — attempt to renegotiate the terms. He tweeted Thursday to insist that withdrawal was still on the table, saying he agreed to renegotiate “subject to the fact that if we do not reach a fair deal for all, we will then terminate NAFTA. Relationships are good - deal very possible!”

2615d ago / 10:00 PM UTC

The Promise: Make Deals With Countries and Corporations That Put 'America First'

GLOBAL DEALS

President Donald Trump sold Americans on his ability to make a deal, and vowed to renegotiate the country's current agreements with corporations and other countries alike. He argued that his tough tactics were necessary to ensure that America is more respected on the world stage.

“As long as we are led by politicians who will not put America first, then we can be assured that other nations will not treat America with respect,” Trump said during his RNC acceptance speech.

The idea that foreign countries no longer respect America was a theme that featured heavily throughout his campaign, and he frequently lashed out at NATO and particularly allies like Japan as examples of alliances he said benefit other countries more than they benefit the United States. 

He has pledged to withdraw the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, renegotiate NAFTA, and suggested he might just rip up the Iran deal immediately after taking office. Watch for trade deals — as well as global diplomacy and perhaps foreign policy — to take a big turn in both tone and practice.