Oct. 25 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump, during his long flight from Washington to three Asian nations over six days, said he hopes to work out a trade deal with China and assistance in getting Russia to end the war with Ukraine.
Trump left the U.S. amid a government shutdown, East Wing demolition for a ballroom and illegal immigration crackdown in U.S. cities.
Air Force One departed late Friday from Washington and was to reach Malaysia on Sunday morning local time. Stops are also set for Japan and South Korea.
"The first message is Trump the peacemaker. The second is Trump the moneymaker," Victor Cha of the Center for Strategic and International Studies told NNBC News. "And then, of course, with the meeting with China, I think what everybody's expecting is that there's probably not going to be a big trade deal, but there will be an effort to de-escalate or put a pause on the situation."
On Thursday, Trump plans to meet with China's President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea.
