EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt dodged the question of whether the president believes climate change is real and a threat to the U.S. during a Friday news briefing.
Watch the briefing in the player above.
Pruitt and White House press secretary Sean Spicer fielded questions about President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord.
Asked about Trump's views on climate change, Pruitt says they were focused on "one singular issue" — whether the Paris deal would be good or bad for the country.
He says Trump concluded it would put the nation at an economic disadvantage.
Trump's decision Thursday to pull out of the agreement, a pledge signed by nearly 200 countries in 2016 to reduce carbon emissions, set off a firestorm of reactions from leaders across the globe.
At least 87 mayors had signed their own version of the pact by Friday afternoon.
READ MORE: Here's how leaders are reacting to Trump's withdrawal from Paris climate agreement
The Associated Press contributed to this report.