Trump heads to Asia
For talks on trade, Iran, NoKor
OSAKA (AP) — Heading into what is likely his most consequential overseas trip of the year, US President Donald Trump will be forced to grapple with a flurry of international crises, tense negotiations and a growing global to-do list.
Trump goes first to Osaka, Japan, for the annual Group of 20 summit, then on to South Korea for consultations on North Korea’s nuclear program.
The agenda for his fourday trip is as laden with hazards for the president as it is light on the ceremonial pomp that marked his recent state visits to Japan and the United Kingdom.
The showdown between the US and Iran, a trade war with China and the threat of fresh election interference by Russia are just some of the issues confronting the American leader who has shown little patience for the subtleties of global interactions and whose administration has struggled to grapple with simultaneous challenges.
As he faces mounting pressures to deliver results on a lengthy roster of global concerns, the president will meet one-on-one with at least eight world leaders on the summit’s sidelines beginning with dinner with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison just after he lands in Japan today.
But White House officials are playing down prospects of specific accomplishments in what is the president’s third international trip in a month, even as Trump himself said of his “competitors” from other nations: “That’s OK. We’re doing great. We’re doing better than any of them.”
The week was set up to deliver a remarkable splitscreen dynamic in American politics: While Trump is in Asia, the Democrats vying to replace him next year are holding their first primary debates.
As Air Force One soared toward Japan, Trump delivered a succinct review on Twitter of part 1 of a twonight debate: “BORING!”
Later, the president, ever the media critic, mocked NBC for an audio malfunction that briefly interrupted the proceedings.
His calendar in Osaka includes sit-downs with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Turkey’s Recep Teyyip Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, all of whom have authoritarian tendencies, as well as disquieted allies including Germany’s Angela Merkel and more contented ones such as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Before he even touched down, Trump had a very public message for another of the leaders with whom he’ll meet, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Trump complained that India had recently increased its tariffs against the United States, tweeting, “This is unacceptable and the Tariffs must be withdrawn!”