Amid a trade war over tariffs with China and an ongoing government shutdown, President Donald Trump is heading out east to Asia on a mission to try to resolve at least one of his issues.
Trump left the White House on Friday night en route to his first stop, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The president’s overseas trip comes as the government shutdown enters its 25th day with no deal in sight. The now second-longest shutdown in the history of the United States is about a week and a half away from breaking the record set during Trump’s first term in office, which was 36 days.
More: Will Trump cancel his Asia trip due to the government shutdown? Democrats say he should.
Apart from a closed government, Trump is also facing retaliatory tariffs implemented by China after Trump threatened to nearly triple tariffs on Chinese imports on Nov. 1 unless he reaches a new trade deal with the country.
