Apple CEO Tim Cook is reportedly joining other business leaders in urging President Trump not to withdraw from the Paris Climate agreement.
Cook phoned the White House Tuesday to tell the President to stay in the agreement, Bloomberg News reported, citing “a person familiar with the move.”
But on Wednesday, one day after the phone call, reports began to emerge from the White House that Trump had decided to withdraw from the 2015 agreement, in which nearly all countries pledged to reduce carbon emissions. The only countries that did not join the agreement were Syria and Nicaragua.
The reports that Trump had decided to exit immediately unleashed a torrent of criticism from Democrats, environmental activists, and some business leaders. Trump, however, said that he would officially announce his decision on Thursday.
Cook’s advocacy for the agreement echoes that of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who tweeted Wednesday that he would resign from White House Advisory Councils should the United States withdraw.
“I’ve done all I can to advise directly to POTUS, through others in WH & via councils, that we remain,” Musk said Wednesday.