Environmental Protection Agency Director Scott Pruitt said Friday that European cities want to keep the United States in the Paris Agreement because it gives them a leg up economically.

“Europe wants us to stay in agreements like the Paris accord because it puts us at an economic disadvantage,” Mr. Pruitt said on Fox News, adding that those on the left critical of President Trump’s decision to withdraw are hypocritical since they disliked the agreement when it was first drafted.

“If you go back to when the accord was signed, there was tremendous criticism on the left,” he said.

Mr. Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Accord earlier this month amid heavy scrutiny. He said that he’d be willing to reenter the agreement after some continued negotiation.

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