Trump’s Asia trip is a major international test

His 12-day, 5-nation trek to region is longest for a president in 25 years

HONOLULU » On his most grueling and consequential trip abroad, President Donald Trump stands ready to exhort Asian allies and rivals on the need to counter the dangers posed by North Korea’s nuclear threat.

The 12-day, five-country trip, the longest Far East itinerary for a president since George H.W. Bush, comes at a precarious moment for Trump. Just days ago, his former campaign chairman was indicted and another adviser pleaded guilty as part of an investigation into possible collusion between his 2016 campaign and Russian officials.

With Trump set to arrive today in Japan, the trip presents a cru- cial international test for a president looking to reassure Asian allies worried that his inwardlooking “America First” agenda could cede power in the region to China. They also are rattled by his bellicose rhetoric about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The North’s growing missile arsenal threatens the capitals Trump will visit.

“The trip comes, I would argue, at a very inopportune time for the president. He is under growing domestic vulnerabilities that we all know about, hour to hour,” said Jonathan Pollack, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington. “The conjunction of those issues leads to the palpable sense of unease about the potential crisis in Korea.”

Trump’s spontaneous, and at time reckless, style flies in the face of the generations-old traditions and protocol that govern diplomatic exchanges in Asia. The grand receptions expected for him in Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing and beyond are sure to be lavish attempts to impress the president, who raved about the extravagances shown himon earlier visits to Saudi Arabia and France.

The trip will also put Trump in face-to-face meetings with authoritarian leaders for whom he has expressed admiration. They include China’s Xi Jinping, whom Trump has likened to “a king,” and the Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte, who has sanctioned the extrajudicial killings of drug dealers. Trump may also have the chance for a second private audience with Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the sidelines of a summit in Vietnam.

The White House is signaling that Trump will push American economic interests in the region, but the North Korean threat is expected to dominate the trip. One of Trump’s two major speeches will come before the National Assembly in Seoul. Trump will forgo a trip to the Demilitarized Zone, the stark border between North and South Korea.

Meanwhile, the president paid a solemn visit Friday to Pearl Harbor and its memorial to the USS Arizona, a hallowed place he said he had read about, discussed and studied but had never visited until just before opening his first official visit to Asia.

Trump saluted after entering the memorial following a short boat ride with first lady Melania Trump. They approached a wreath of white flowers — a gift from the couple — and watched as two sailors who stood beside it at attention placed the wreath near a wall of names of the fallen.

The Trumps then tossed white f lower petals into the waters above the battleship’s sunken hull, as the president then peered down at the rusted wreckage.

Trump appeared moved by the visit. Trump crossed his arms in front of him, closing his eyes as he bowed his head in remembrance.

AHN YOUNG-JOON— THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Protesters against North Korea salute during a rally welcoming the planned visit by U.S. President Donald Trump in Seoul, South Korea, on Saturday. Grand receptions are reportedly planned for his arrival in Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing on a trip that also...