Donald Trump: We're Exiting Climate Deal. Mayors & Guvs: No We're Not | The 11th Hour

>>> WELCOME BACK. BEFORE BECOME PRESIDENT, DONALD
TRUMP WAS PRETTY CLEAR ABOUT WHERE HE STOOD ON CLIMATE
CHANGE. THE PEOPLE AT VOX PUT TOGETHER A
LIST OF 115 TIMES TRUMP POSTED ON TWITTER ABOUT IT.
HE HAS CALLED IT A HOAX. AND ONCE FAMOUSLY BLAMED IT ON
THE CHINESE. BUT NOW, LESS THAN 24 HOURS
AFTER MAKING THAT DECISION, WITH HUGE CLIMATE IMPLICATIONS, NO
ONE IN THE WHITE HOUSE WOULD ANSWER WHETHER THE PRESIDENT
BELIEVED CLIMATE CHANGE WAS REAL.
>> YES OR NO, DOES THE PRESIDENT BELIEVE THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS
REAL AND A THREAT TO THE UNITED STATES.
>> YOU FOR EXAMPLE IT'S INTERESTING ABOUT ALL THE
DISCUSSIONS WE HAD THROUGH THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS HAVE BEEN
FOCUSED ON ONE SINGULAR ISSUE, IS PARIS GOOD OR NOT FOR THIS
COUNTRY. >> I WOULD LIKE TO GO BACK TO
THE FIRST QUESTION THAT WAS ASKED THAT YOU DIDN'T ANSWER.
DOES THE PRESIDENT BELIEVE TODAY THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS A HOAX?
>> YOU KNOW, I DID ANSWER THE QUESTION BECAUSE I SAID THE
DISCUSSIONS THE PRESIDENT AND I HAVE HAD OVER THE LAST SEVERAL
WEEKS HAVE BEEN FOCUSED ON ONE KEY ISSUE S PARIS GOOD OR BAD
FOR THIS COUNTRY. >> YOU ARE THE EPA
ADMINISTRATOR, SHOULDN'T YOU BE ABLE TO TELL THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
WHETHER OR NOT THE PRESIDENT STILL BELIEVES THE CLIMATE
CHANGE IS A HOAX. WHERE DOES HE STAND?
>> I ANSWERED THE QUESTION A COUPLE OF TIMES.
>> WHERE DOES THE PRESIDENT STAND ON CLIMATE CHANGE.
DOES HE BELIEVE IT IS A HOAX. >> I HAVE NOT HAD THE
OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THAT DISCUSSION.
>> WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WITH HIM AND
REPORT BACK TO US AT THE NEXT BRIEFING.
>> IF I CAN, I WILL LOT YOU KNOW.
>> WHAT A TIME FOR THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS.
WE ARE BLESSED TO HAVE A QUALITY WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS RIGHT
NOW. LET'S WELCOME JEMILE SMITH,
SENIOR NATIONAL KOERPENT FOR MTV NEWS.
NOTELY AN MSNBC VETERAN BACK IN THE DAY.
AND SIMA RHETTA, POLITICAL WRITER FOR THE LOS ANGELES
TIMES. WELCOME TO YOU BOTH.
>> THANK YOU. >> SIMA, LET'S START WITH THE
POLITICS OF IT. WELL SEVERAL PEOPLE IN THE LAST
24 HOURS HAVE SAID MAYBE HE'S JUST GOING TO BECOME A 40%
PRESIDENT. >> HE IS CLEARLY SPEAKING TO HIS
BASE. THIS ISN'T REALLY ANY SURPRISE
BECAUSE AT CAMPAIGN RALLY AFTER CAMPAIGN RALLY LAST YEAR HE WAS
VERY CLEAR ABOUT WHAT HE FELT ABOUT THE PARIS AGREEMENT AND
THAT HE PLANNED TO GET OUT OF IT.
I DON'T THINK ANYBODY SHOULD BE SURPRISED HE DID THIS.
I DO FIND PARTICULARLY HIS EPA ADMINISTRATOR'S INABILITY TO
ANSWER THE QUESTION WHETHER HE BELIEVES CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL.
I FIND THAT INEXPLICABLE. >> JAMIE, WHAT ARE THE CHANCE
THAT 190 COUNTRIES AT DONALD TRUMP'S URGING ARE GOING TO COME
BACK, CALL IT SOMETHING DIFFERENT, DECIDE SOMETHING
DIFFERENT? >> I WOULD SAY THAT'S A ZERO
CHANCE. FRANK LESION I THINK ANGELA
MERCKLE AND OTHER EUROPEAN LEADERS MADE IT CLEAR THIS IS
NOT A RENEGOTIATIBLE AGREEMENT. NEW YORK, CALIFORNIA,
WASHINGTON, THEY UNDERSTAND THOFS GOING TO HAPPEN.
THEY BELIEVED HIS ACTUAL PROMISE FOR ONE THAT HE WAS GOING TO
KEEP. THEY WERE PREPARED FOR HIM TO
MAKE THE WRONG DECISION. >> JEMILE, THE OTHER THING YOU
ARE READING IS THAT IT'S -- EVERYTHING IS SO RETRO ABOUT IT,
DOWN TO, BUT NOTABLY INCLUDING, A RETURN TO COAL MINING AND
PEOPLE KEEP ASKING, WHERE ARE THOSE JOBS GOING TO COME FROM?
COAL-FIRED PLANTS ARE COMING OFF LINE.
THE MOMENTUM OF THE NATION HAS BEEN GOING IN THE OTHER
DIRECTION. >> YEAH.
UNLESS THEY ARE GOING TO FIRE THE MACHINES THAT ARE DOING THE
MOUNTAIN TOP REMOVAL OR, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING
ALL THE FRACKING THAT IS COMPETING AND DRIVING COAL OUT
OF BUSINESS. FRANKLY, THAT'S THE TARGET IF
YOU REALLY WANT TO SAVE COAL. IT'S NOT PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING
TO PROMOTE SOLAR, PROMOTE AIR, PROMOTE DIFFERENT KINDS OF
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY. SO HE IS ACTUALLY SHOOTING AT
THE WRONG TARGET IF IN FACT WHICH I DON'T BELIEVE HE HE
WANTS TO ACTUALLY MAKE SOME PROGRESS IN THIS REGARD.
>> AND SIMA, THERE IS THE VISUAL THAT WAS ALSO REPORTED LAST
NIGHT, IVANKA TRUMP WAS CALLING CEOs AS AN END AROUND, COULD YOU
PLEASE CALL MY DAD. REX TILLERSON WHO USED TO RUN
EXXON, NOW SECRETARY OF STATE, ARGUING WE SHOULD STAY IN PARIS.
THERE IS A HUGE DICHOTOMY WITH THE PRESIDENT SAYING THIS IS
WHAT'S GOOD FOR AMERICAN BUSINESSES WITH A LOT OF
BUSINESSES SAYING WE WERE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS.
>> THERE ARE COMPETE FACTIONS INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE.
BUT A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGOGO PEOE WERE TALKING ABOUT STEVE BANNON
LOSING INFLUENCE. WHEN THE PRESIDENT MADE HIS
ANNOUNCE MEN ABOUT PARIS STEVE WAS FRONT AND CENTER AND IVANKA
AND JARED KUSHNER WERE NOWHERE TO BE SEEN.
WE KNOW SHE FELT STRONGLY ABOUT THIS VERY ISSUE.
FOR LIBERALS AND DEMOCRATS WHO HOPED SHE WOULD BE A MODERATING
FORCE ON HER FATHER THIS WAS NOT AN EXAMPLE OF SUCCESS.
>> JEMILE, THERE WAS REPORTING LAST NIGHT THAT BANNO WAS THE
LAST PERSON THE PRESIDENT MET WITH ON THIS.
SO YOU SEE THIS AS -- IT WAS SAID IT WAS THE NATIONALISM
RESURGENT YESTERDAY. >> YEAH.
I MEAN THAT CERTAINLY FITS THE PATTERN THAT WE'VE BEEN
UNDERSTANDING FOR TRUMP IS THAT HE PRETTY MUCH BELIEVES
WHATEVER -- WHO -- THE LAST PERSON WHO SPEAKS TO HIM TELLS
HIM. I THINK THE IDEA HERE IS TO
REALLY GETTING AWAY FROM ASKING WHETHER OR NOT THE PRESIDENT
BELIEVES CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL. IT IS REAL.
WE ARE NOT ASKING HIM IF HE BELIEVES IN GOD OR IN A KICK
DEITY. WE ARE NOT ASKING IF HE THINKS
THE CAVS ARE GOING TO COME BACK AND WIN THE NBA FINALS.
WE ARE ASKING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN PROP TO BE A FACT.

Donald Trump: We're Exiting Climate Deal. Mayors & Guvs: No We're Not | The 11th Hour | MSNBC

Latest Posts