President Donald Trump left for Asia late on Friday, Oct. 24, as the U.S. government shutdown heads toward historic lengths and with the Republican seeking to resolve a trade war over tariffs with China.
The president left the White House on Friday night, expecting to arrive at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on the morning of Sunday, Oct. 26 local time. Malaysia will mark the first stop of Trump’s Asia trip.
Trump's overseas trip comes as the U.S. government shutdown stretches into a fourth week with no end in sight and as the second-term president threatens to nearly triple tariffs on Chinese imports on Nov. 1 unless he reaches a new trade deal with the country.
More: Will Trump cancel his Asia trip due to the government shutdown? Democrats say he should.
China has already enacted retaliatory taxes, which have halted key U.S. imports like soybeans and restricted the sale of rare earth minerals to the United States.
