I guess you can go ahead and rest easy, folks, US President Donald Trump has cancelled his planned November trip to Australia, with the White House saying that he will visit Europe instead, to take part in WW1 commemorations in France.
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Trump had been due to visit the region for the US-Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit and the East Asia Summit in Singapore, and the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum in Papua New Guinea.
There were reports earlier this year that the US government was undertaking security assessments for an Aussie trip, with Cairns, Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane as possible destinations, the latter being a meeting point for leaders before APEC.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that Donald Trump will instead go to Paris to attend a parade for the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended the first world war. He will also visit Ireland to renew its “deep and historic ties” with the US.
Throughout much of the 19th century, Irish immigrants seeking refuge in America were accused of being rapists and degenerates, and despised by many who believed they spread disease, stole American jobs and put a strain on the country’s welfare budget.
I’m scratching my head trying to think of a parallel with America’s current immigration situation, but I really can’t, hey.
Sanders said Vice President Mike Pence will attend the summits in Trump’s place, to “highlight the United States’ vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific, based on respect for sovereignty, the rule of law, and the principles of free, fair, and reciprocal trade.”
