Major U.S. business leaders resign in protest from Donald Trump’s White House councils
It wasn’t just the liberals and environmentalists who warned Donald Trump not to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord. Several major business leaders in the United States also advised Trump not to pull the plug, and instead tried to steer him toward understanding that dealing with climate change is economically important. But Trump didn’t listen, so now they’re resigning from his White House councils in protest.
First came Tesla founder Elon Musk, who announced “Am departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world”:
Am departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 1, 2017
Musk went on to explain that “Under Paris deal, China committed to produce as much clean electricity by 2030 as the US does from all sources today.” But he wasn’t the only major U.S. business leader who officially quit on Trump today.
Disney CEO Robert Iger announced that “As a matter of principle, I’ve resigned from the President’s Council over the Paris Agreement withdrawal”:
As a matter of principle, I've resigned from the President's Council over the #ParisAgreement withdrawal.
— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) June 1, 2017
Various polls have shown that 70% of Americans favored remaining in the Paris Climate Accord. Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw today might be the most unpopular decision yet from an already historically unpopular “president” who is increasingly viewed as not legitimately occupying the office after having been installed by the Russians. And yet even Russia is choosing to remain in the Paris Climate Accord. Trump’s decision appears to have been little more than an attempt at spiting President Obama, who helped negotiate the accord to begin with.
