US President Donald Trump on Thursday strongly defended his decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord, declaring himself "proud" of the move. "In order to protect American jobs, companies and workers, we've withdrawn the United States from the one-sided Paris Climate Accord," Trump said to applause, during a speech on the future of the US energy sector. Climate change has become a major bone of contention between the United States and its Western allies, and the issue is set to loom large when Trump meets Group of 20 leaders in Hamburg, Germany next week.