As the United States faces its second-longest government shutdown in recent history, Democrats are urging President Donald Trump to cancel his upcoming trip to Asia and focus on resolving the domestic crisis. The MAGA chief is scheduled to depart late Friday for Malaysia, with stops in Japan and South Korea, where he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping next Thursday.Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called it “outrageous” for Trump to leave the country while Americans suffer.“Shouldn’t the president listen to the cares of the American people and their desperate need on health care, rather than taking a foreign trip?” Schumer asked.Senator Jeff Merkley, who held a marathon speech on the Senate floor in protest of Trump administration policies, described the planned trip as “horrific.”“He absolutely should be sitting down right now and holding a conversation with you about how we solve this problem for millions of Americans,” Merkley said.Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries requested a meeting with Trump earlier this week to discuss ending the shutdown, but Trump responded that he will only meet with Democratic leaders once the government reopens.“I would like to meet with both of them, but I said one little caveat, I will only meet if they let the country open,” Trump told reporters earlier this week, according to USA Today. Republican lawmakers have largely refused to negotiate until the shutdown ends, while Democrats continue to demand health care reforms in exchange for reopening the government.This will be Trump’s first trip to Asia since returning to the Oval Office in January. In the past, presidents have cancelled international travel during shutdowns. In 2019, amid a 35-day shutdown during Trump’s first term, he reportedly made then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi cancel a trip to Brussels and Afghanistan. Similarly, former President Barack Obama cancelled a trip to Indonesia and Brunei during the 17-day 2013 funding impasse, citing the need to press Republicans to allow a vote to reopen the government.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Trump will depart Friday and meet leaders in Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea, including Xi Jinping.
