Trump pulls out of trip to Latin America

DONALD TRUMP yesterday pulled out of his first trip to Latin America, sending Mike Pence instead as he stays in Washington to deal with the Syria crisis.

Mr Trump becomes the first US president not to attend the Summit of the Americas regional gathering since it was founded 24 years ago.

“The president will remain in the United States to oversee the American response to Syria and to monitor developments around the world,” said Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the press secretary.

The week leading up to the summit was marked by Mr Trump’s decision to send US National Guard troops to the border with Mexico, earning a fierce rebuke by Enrique Pena Nieto, the Mexican president.

Richard Feinberg, who led Latin America policy in the Clinton White House, called the change in plans a “shocking abandonment of US leadership in our own hemisphere” and said it made Mr Trump look like he was afraid of confronting the consequences of his rhetoric for the region.