White House heatedly denies report that Trump is flip-flopping on Paris climate accord

The White House pushed back on Saturday against reports in the Wall Street Journal and Agence France Presse (AFP) that President Donald Trump has decided not to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord, the Hill said.

"There has been no change in the United States' position on the Paris agreement. As the President has made abundantly clear, the United States is withdrawing unless we can re-enter on terms that are more favorable to our country," said an afternoon statement from White House Deputy Press Secretary Lindsay Walters.

The administration was responding to an announcement by the European Union's chief climate officer Miguel Arias Canete, who said at a summit in Canada that he'd received word from a Trump administration official that Trump is softening his stance on withdrawing the U.S. from the accord into it can be re-negotiated.

Earlier this year, Trump said he's pulling the U.S. out of the deal because he said it conflicts with his "America First" agenda. After word began to spread on Saturday that Trump was reconsidering, the White House issued its statement insisting that nothing has changed.

Canete was in Montreal meeting with representatives from more than 30 countries when he made the remarks, said USA Today. The group met in an effort to plan moving forward with the climate agreement without U.S. participation.