FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a televised address to the nation from his desk in the Oval Office about immigration and the southern U.S. border on the 18th day of a partial government shutdown at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 8, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he is still scheduled to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland later this month but will not go if the partial shutdown of the federal government continues.
“I intended to go and speak in front of the world financial community in Davos. That’s still on, but if the shutdown continues … I won’t go. I had planned to go, it’s been very successful when I went. We have a great story to tell,” Trump told reporters before leaving the White House to visit Texas.
The partial government shutdown, now in its 20th day, could end by the meeting’s Jan. 22 start date. The meeting concludes on Jan. 25.
China’s Vice President Wang Qishan is also expected to attend, but it is not clear if there are any arrangements for a meeting between him and Trump during the annual gathering. China and the United States have taken a 90-day pause in implementing tariffs to hammer out a trade deal.
The Swiss meeting could also provide Trump with opportunities to discuss better terms of trade with the European Union, Japan, Canada and Mexico.
Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Lisa Lambert; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Steve Orlofsky and Jonathan Oatis
Source : Denver Post
