Trump is going to Switzerland with the Senate trial
WASHINGTON – When President Donald Trump’s historic impeachment trial is called for a Senate order this week, he will not watch it from inside the chamber or on White House television.
He will be at the Davos Economic Forum in the Swiss Alps thousands of miles away, trying to captivate CEOs around the world at dinner.
Trump’s participation in the annual World Economic Forum will provide a clear split-screen moment in a presidency familiar to him. His two-day visit to Switzerland will test his ability to balance his anger as he is accused of aspiring to lead on the world stage.
Administration officials say Trump is focused on serving the public.
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said in an email that “the president’s job is not just about impeachment.”
Trump, who left Washington on Monday night, said he was going to Davos to encourage businesses to invest in the United States.
“We’re where we’re working now,” he said at a farmers ’conference Sunday in Texas.
Concerned about what his second appearance at the annual Swiss Economic Forum would be, Trump was scheduled to arrive at the ski resort early Tuesday and return to Washington on Wednesday to be swallowed up by the impeachment trial.
The White House has not released much information about the president’s schedule, but he is expected to deliver a keynote address and meet with world leaders and business executives.
The Democratic-controlled House last month impeached the Republican president for abusing power and obstructing Congress when it was revealed that he had pressured the Ukrainian president to announce an investigation into the former Democrats.
Trump denies any wrongdoing and argues that Democrats want to remove him from office because they know they can’t deny him re-election in November. If convicted, Trump will be forced to step down, but the Republican-controlled Senate is expected to release him.
Trump said he would attend the Davos forum despite the awkward times because he wanted to encourage businesses to return to the United States.
“Our country is the warmest country in the world,” he said at the White House last week. “There’s nothing even close. I’ll meet the world’s biggest business leaders, force them to come here.”
The White House has said no president or prime minister will have one session after another with Trump, but he is expected to hold his first meeting with the new European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, the first woman to hold the post. .
That meeting could be the most significant, says analyst Matt Goodman, because of Trump’s many disagreements with Europe over tax and trade policy, like a new digital tariff for the French that would force American technology giants such as Amazon and Google to pay.
“He is new and he is strong,” said Goodman, who studied international economic policy as a senior.
He predicted a tough year ahead for US-EU relations.
“It can go either too good or too bad,” Goodman said.
Trump has been smart about French taxes, and his administration has announced plans to impose a 100% retaliatory tariff on cheese, wine, lipstick and other French imports. France has threatened to retaliate.
The United States has threatened to impose retaliatory tariffs on বিমান 7.5 billion worth of European aircraft, cheese, wine and other products in a separate dispute over subsidies from rival Airbus, a Chicago-based Boeing company.
Trump has also sought trade concessions from the EU by threatening tariffs on German cars, including BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
Trump is heading to Switzerland to face impeachment proceedings in the Senate as the third American president after Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. Johnson and Clinton were both acquitted by the Senate.
The indicted US leader has a history of international travel.
During her impeachment of a White House intern, Clinton visited Japan, South Korea, Israel and the Palestinian Authority. She too
Two days after the acquittal, Clinton traveled to Mexico on a state visit.
Trump is probably planning his first visit to India at the end of February after his impeachment trial is over. He also spoke
___
Follow Darlene Superville on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap
Darlene Superville, Associated Press
Leave a Reply