Pittsburgh mayor tweets support for Paris Agreement, despite Trump comments
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Donald Trump speaks about the U.S. role in the Paris climate change accord, Thursday, June 1, 2017, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Pittsburgh will continue to follow the Paris Agreement despite President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the deal, the city’s mayor said on Thursday.
“I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris,” Trump said while explaining his decision to withdraw the U.S. from the 2015 climate action deal.
But “Steel City” Mayor Bill Peduto took to Twitter to dispute the president’s assertion.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}PARIS AGREEMENT: GORE BLASTS TRUMP MOVE WITHDRAWING US FROM DEAL
“Fact: Hillary Clinton received 80% of the vote in Pittsburgh,” Peduto, a Democrat, tweeted following Trump’s announcement. “Pittsburgh stands with the world & will follow Paris Agreement.”
“As the Mayor of Pittsburgh, I can assure you that we will follow the guidelines of the Paris Agreement for our people, our economy & future,” Peduto wrote in a second tweet.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It wasn’t just Peduto who ripped Trump’s decision to withdraw.
Sen. Bob Casey, D.-Pa., also took issue with the president’s Pittsburgh mention, tweeting that if Trump “really wanted to help the people of Pittsburgh, he would protect their clean air & opportunity for jobs.”
Conversely, Casey argued, Pittsburgh residents support moves to halt climate change. “Earlier this year I held a town hall in Pittsburgh & the residents in attendance called for action on climate change,” Casey tweeted.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Around 200 nations, including the U.S. under President Barack Obama's administration, agreed to voluntarily reduce their greenhouse gas emissions as part of the deal.