President Trump canceled his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos Thursday afternoon due to the ongoing shutdown stalemate.
“Because of the Democrats intransigence on Border Security and the great importance of Safety for our Nation, I am respectfully canceling my very important trip to Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum. My warmest regards and apologies to the WEF!” Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter.
The meeting with the United States’ international trading partners, scheduled to start on January 22, is still more than a week away, which suggests the president doesn’t expect to reach any deal in the coming days.
The cancellation will be a missed opportunity for trade discussions with leaders of the European Union, Canada, Mexico and other nations. Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan is expected to attend the forum, leading to speculation that Mr. Trump would hold talks with him over the trade war between the two nations.
U.S. and Chinese negotiators wrapped up three days of talks in Beijing this week aimed at resolving trade issues that have led to a tariff war. Mr. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have declared a 90-day truce on raising tariffs that were due to take effect Jan. 1.
Mr. Trump said his team is “having tremendous success with China” in the trade negotiations. He said the talks are progressing more smoothly than his negotiations with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to end the government shutdown and fund a border wall.
“I find China, frankly, in many ways, to be far more honorable than Cryin’ Chuck and Nancy, I really do,” Mr. Trump told reporters Thursday. “I think that China is actually much easier to deal with than the opposition party.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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