President Donald Trump said he will scrap his trip to the Davos annual gathering of global financial elites later this month because of the government shutdown.
“Because of the Democrats intransigence on Border Security and the great importance of Safety for our Nation, I am respectfully cancelling my very important trip to Davos, Switzerland,” Trump said in a tweet Thursday.
The U.S. delegation to the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Switzerland is to include Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and U.S. Trade Secretary Robert Lighthizer, among other top administration officials.
Mnuchin plans to attend the Davos conference with a smaller U.S. delegation even if Trump decides not to go, according to a person familiar with the Treasury secretary’s plans.
The partial U.S. government shutdown is in its 20th day, with no sign of an agreement. Trump walked out of a White House meeting with congressional leaders on Wednesday, calling it a “waste of time.” The president wants Congress to approve $5.7 billion to help fulfill a campaign promise to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border that he insists is necessary to stem illegal migration.