as you heard from john kerry, not everyone was hap that he did that. epa administrator scott pruitt was with the president on thursday when he made the announcement at the white house. he joins me now. welcome to "meet the press". >> good morning. >> why did 200 other countries sign this agreement and why do you think the united states should have gotten out of it? >> engagement internationally on these issues, chuck, is very, very important. and the united states has shown a history of engagement. as you know in the late 1990s, the administration entered into the kyoto protocol and from 2000-2014 this country saw reduction in co-2 emissions, 18%, through leadership and innovation technology. having that discussion internationally, we're part of the treaty ratified in 1992. this goes back almost two decades. >> we pulled out of kyoto. >> we did in 2001. but the framework is still something we're a part of. >> so are you advocating now that essentially even though we pulled out of the...

reach of washington, d.c. and he's going to put america first with respect to the environment and international agreements. i think what is being missed in all this the president said on friday paris we're getting out of because it represents a bad deal. the targets said about it previous administration, 26% to 28% reductions -- >> not in the agreement. >> but that 26% to 28% reduction, you're wrong. the 26% to 28% reduction in the agreement, the former administration, all the rules that they enacted, every rule as part of the climate action agenda still fell 40% short of those targets. you said they could be reduced. in the agreement there are

solar, like the innovation would anticipate other job growth and that that would balance out. here's what al gore said to me earlier when i interviewed him about this issue. >> the loss of jobs in the coal industry started with the mechanization of the coal industry. natural gas started displacing coal and the fossil fuel sector. and promising to re-create the 19th century is not a visionary strategy for a successful 21st century. >> he is right that you are making a false promise to some of the fossil fuel industries? >> dead wrong. the numbers show the exact opposite. since the fourth quarter of last year to most recently added 50,000 jobs in the coal sector. in the month of may alone, 7,000