Former Secretary of State John Kerry was highly critical of President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris agreement Thursday, saying Trump "has put America last."
Kerry spoke with NPR after Trump's White House announcement regarding the international climate accord.
"The Paris agreement's gonna continue without the United States of America, and I believe America is gonna continue to remain committed to the Paris agreement," Kerry said, adding that he spoke with multiple governors about their pledge to abide by the Paris accord's guidelines.
"The American people will lead where the president of the United States has put America last."
Republicans cheered Trump's decision to pull the U.S. from the Paris agreement, which set country-specific standards that supporters said would help improve the environment.
Democrats and other critics like Kerry, however, were not pleased with the move.
"All the president had to do was say, 'I don't like the [guidelines], I'm gonna change it.' He could've changed it, but he got out of it because this is political, serving the narrow ideological interest of the narrow base of this party," Kerry said. "And really, it's one of the most disastrous and shallow, untruthful decisions a president of the United States has made in my lifetime.
"It's tragic, it's a great betrayal of the trust of the presidency and of the leadership that is needed right now to deal with climate change."
Former President Barack Obama, who signed the Paris accord last April, said he's hopeful that businesses and jurisdictions nationwide will "help protect for future generations the one planet we've got."
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