Disney CEO Bob Iger announced Thursday evening that he has resigned from President Donald Trump’s business advisory council over the President’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement.
Trump said he would try to renegotiate a more “fair” climate deal, but said it would be “fine” if those efforts failed. He said the move would bring jobs and boost the U.S. economy, but experts and business leaders say it may do the opposite.
“As a matter of principle, I’ve resigned from the President’s Council over the #ParisAgreement withdrawal,” Iger tweeted on Thursday.
As a matter of principle, I've resigned from the President's Council over the #ParisAgreement withdrawal.
— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) June 1, 2017
Tesla CEO Elon Musk also resigned from Trump’s advisory council after the announcement, and a host of other business, tech and energy leaders spoke out against the decision. Ahead of Trump’s announcement, other top CEOs had urged him to stick with the Paris agreement.
Iger, a longtime Democrat, has faced criticism for being one of a small number of executives who initially agreed to help with Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum. Previously, he had pushed back on that by saying his presence on the council did not endorse any policy from the Trump administration.
“I think there is an opportunity, when you are in the room where it happens, to express opinions I believe would be in the best interest of the company and its shareholders,” Iger said at a shareholder meeting in March.
But the withdrawal from the Paris climate accord signals a major shift for the U.S. on the international stage. Not only do experts believe the country’s exit will weaken the agreement and potentially hamper global efforts to fight climate change, but it could also have effects on the clean energy industry and American relations with other powerful countries.