In a speech announcing the United States' withdrawal from the Paris climate change agreement in 2017, President Trump said that the decision was made in order to "fulfil my solemn duty to protect America and its citizens". Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell subsequently hailed Trump "for dealing yet another significant blow to the Obama administration's assault on domestic energy production and jobs".The rejection of the agreement was met with rebukes from other world leaders and climate change experts. Merkel, Macron and Gentiloni of Germany France and Italy released a joint statement, saying: “We deem the momentum generated in Paris in December 2015 irreversible and we firmly believe that the Paris Agreement cannot be renegotiated, since it is a vital instrument for our planet, societies and economies”.This week, Trump began the year-long process to formally exit the agreement, making the United States the only country in the world not participating.