FACT CHECK

Trump: France Is ‘Burning Down’ Because of Climate Accord

The president appears to blame the Paris Climate Accord for sparking recent protests over tax increases.

President Trump has claimed that all of France is “burning down” because of the Paris Climate Accord, apparently in reference to recent protests that began over tax increases. In a Fox News interview on Thursday, Trump pushed back against criticism of his decision to pull the U.S. out of the climate agreement by claiming the accord “is not working out too well for Paris.” "Because of that accord, the whole country is burning down,” Trump said, without elaborating. The protests, part of the “yellow vests” movement, erupted in response to French President Emmanuel Macron’s fuel-tax hikes and quickly transformed into a wider protest against Macron’s policies. The French president's approval rating is reportedly at an all-time low, with many of the protesters claiming he is not making reforms for France’s lower-income households. Despite Trump's controversial announcement last year that the U.S. would be leaving the climate accord, the country is currently still part of the agreement and cannot leave until 2020. While the accord does push countries to lower greenhouse gases, it reportedly does not ask signatories to enforce a tax like Macron’s.

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