Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Saturday 4 November 2017
Trump tugged in different directions as he heads to Asia

By JILL COLVIN in the region — some sev-
Associated Press eral times. Trump has also
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- worked to develop close
dent Donald Trump is be- personal relationships with
ing pulled in different di- Xi and Shinzo Abe of Ja-
rections as he heads to pan — ties he hopes will
Asia on a grueling 12-day pay dividends.
trip. Two senior administration
The president’s loyal sup- officials said the president
porters are eager to hear had been preparing for
him take a hard line on the the trip by reading brief-
Chinese trade and eco- ing materials — with lots
nomic practices he railed of the maps, graphs and
against as a candidate. charts, one said — and
But many in his adminis- holding conversations with
tration are pushing Trump key aides and Cabinet
to sweep those concerns members, including Mc-
aside as he works to pres- Master, Secretary of State
sure China’s Xi Jinping to Rex Tillerson, Commerce
tighten the screws on North Secretary Wilbur Ross, U.S.
Korea. Trade Representative Rob-
At the same time, much ert Lighthizer, and senior
of the president’s atten- First lady Melania Trump looks and President Donald Trump walk to board Marine One on the National Security Council
tion has been occupied by South Lawn of the White House for a trip to Asia, Friday, Nov. 3, 2017, in Washington. staff. One of the officials,
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
urgent matters at home, who spoke on condition of
including indictments sia investigation and a of his own chief of staff, by the flurry of tweets he anonymity, like others, to
against two top campaign high-stakes fight over his Trump has been distracted unleashed Friday before discuss the president’s pri-
aides, the deepening Rus- tax plan. By the admission — as also demonstrated departing Washington and vate preparations, said the
continued from aboard Air president was also in close
Force One. In 14 tweets touch with his large net-
over six hours, the president work of business contacts.
dug deep into intrigue sur- Still, the lead-up has felt
rounding Hillary Clinton frantic. Less than an hour
and the 2016 presidential before liftoff, Trump an-
race and other issues, with nounced to reporters that
just one tweet devoted to he would be changing his
his trip. schedule and tacking on
Even before the latest an extra day to attend a
news, concerns abounded summit that he’d been crit-
over how the president, icized for skipping.
a homebody who dislikes Ryan Hass, who served on
long stretches on the road, President Barack Obama’s
would fare during a mara- National Security Coun-
thon trip that will take him cil, said that past presi-
to five counties in 12 days. dents had their Asia trips
“There were always ques- “preceded by six months
tions as to what the end of legwork — really hard,
of the trip would look like. intensive engagement in
Would he become dis- the region by Cabinet and
tracted?” said Mireya Solis, sub-Cabinet-level officials
a senior fellow at the Brook- to tee up deliverables. ...
ings Center for East Asia That has not occurred in
Policy Studies. “Now I think this instance.”
the question has shifted: Is Part of the problem, ac-
he going to be distracted cording to some observers,
from the get-go? Are the is that Trump has yet to fill
domestic political prob- a number of top Asia posi-
lems going to be first and tions in his administration,
foremost on his mind?” including finding his own
The administration project- pick to take over as assis-
ed confidence as it scram- tant secretary of state for
bled to lock down Trump’s East Asian and Pacific af-
itinerary, describing the fairs, and naming a new
president as well-versed in ambassador to South Ko-
the region and familiar with rea.
its leaders. National secu- One person familiar with
rity adviser H.R. McMas- the trip preparations said
ter told reporters Thursday that, as late as this week,
that Trump had placed 43 embassy staff in several of
calls to Indo-Pacific lead- the countries Trump is set
ers as president and met to visit were still in the dark
with the heads of Japan, about agreements in the
South Korea, China and works and key messages to
Vietnam, among others be delivered.q