President Trump officially pulls out of the Paris climate accord

On Monday, President Trump initiated the yearlong process of formally withdrawing the United States from the Paris climate accord.

The move allows the United States to begin the process to withdraw on Nov. 4, with the process reaching finalization exactly one year later, just one day after the 2020 presidential election.

The announcement came in a statement Monday from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, according to The Hill.

"President Trump made the decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement because of the unfair economic burden imposed on American workers, businesses, and taxpayers by U.S. pledges made under the Agreement," Pompeo said. "The United States has reduced all types of emissions, even as we grow our economy and ensure our citizens' access to affordable energy."

President Trump has long been a critic of the United States' involvement in the international agreement, an involvement commenced by former President Barack Obama in September 2016. The agreement, which aims to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, would require the U.S. to reduce its emissions by 28 percent below their 2005 levels by 2025.

In a Rose Garden speech in June 2017, Trump denounced the accord as a "bad deal" for America because it allowed China and other top-polluting countries to continue increasing their emissions while placing stricter requirements on the U.S., consequently hampering American businesses.

"The fact that the Paris deal hamstrings the United States while empowering some of the world's top-polluting countries should dispel any doubt as to why foreign lobbyists wish to keep our magnificent country tied up and bound by this agreement," Trump argued.

President Trump Makes a Statement Regarding the Paris Accordyoutu.be

The decision comes only weeks ahead of a United Nations summit in Spain where leaders are to finalize details for complying with the agreement.

Undoubtedly, Trump hopes the withdrawal will rally his base for election season while Democrats will use the decision to withdraw as a rallying point for their campaigns.