President Donald Trump proclaimed Thursday he was withdrawing the US from the Paris climate accord, a sweeping step that fulfills a campaign promise while acutely dampening global efforts to curb global warming.

Speaking from the White House, Trump said he was open to renegotiating aspects of the agreement, which was inked under his predecessor and which all nations except two have signed onto, reports the CNN.

But he was withering in his criticism of the pact, which he cast as a humiliating defeat for American workers that unfairly advantaged foreign countries.

“At what point does America get demeaned? At what point do they start laughing at us as a country?” Trump inquired during an afternoon event held in a sun-drenched Rose Garden.

“We want fair treatment,” Trump said. “We don't want other countries and other leaders to laugh at us anymore.”

The decision amounts to a rebuttal of the worldwide effort to pressure Trump to remain a part of the agreement, which 195 nations signed onto. Foreign leaders, business executives and Trump's own daughter, Ivanka, lobbied heavily for him to remain a part of the deal, but ultimately lost out to conservatives who claim the plan is bad for the United States.

Trump, who has governed with an "American First" policy, said Thursday he was carrying out the will of the voters who propelled him to the White House.

“I was elected by the citizens of Pittsburgh,” Trump said, “not Paris.”

In triggering the official withdrawal procedures, Trump has sparked a lengthy process that won't conclude until November 2020 -- the same month he's up for reelection, ensuring the issue becomes a major topic of debate in the next presidential contest.

BDST: 1652 HRS, JUNE 2, 2017
AP