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05th Jun 2019

President Higgins Criticises Donald Trump Ahead Of Ireland Visit

Kiara Keane

Michael D Higgins has hit out at Trump’s controversial climate change policies ahead of his visit to Ireland today.

The Irish president didn’t name Trump directly but criticised his decision to leave the Paris Agreement on climate change, calling it “regressive and pernicious”.

Speaking at a public service union event at the RDS in Dublin on Tuesday, Higgins said we must urge “in the strongest possible terms the USA to reconsider its regressive and pernicious decision to leave the global Paris Agreement”.

The US president claimed at the time that that the agreement’s plan to keep the global temperature rise below 2C was “draconian” and that he “was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris”.

Trump is arriving at Shannon Airport later today, where he will meet with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

The Taoiseach is expected to raise a number of issues with Trump during their meeting, including Brexit, the North and immigration.

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