Donald Trump will soon meet his Latin American counterparts, with the White House announcing his plans to participate in the ‘Summit of Americas’, which is scheduled to take place in Lima this April.
The US president is scheduled to meet with Peruvian president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. After the summit, he will proceed to Colombia, where he will meet Juan Manuel Santos who himself visited Washington in May 2017.
“This travel demonstrates the President’s resolve to deepen our historical ties with our partners in the region and to strengthen our joint commitment to improve security and prosperity for the people of the Americas,” a White House statement said over the weekend.
During the trip, Trump “will participate in a series of bilateral, multilateral, and cultural engagements” and will emphasize “fair and reciprocal trade, and secure borders,” the White House statement added.
American presidents traditionally take part in the Summit of the Americas. It was at this summit in 2015 that the former president Barack Obama created history by shaking hands with Raul Castro, President of Cuba.
Trump’s relationship with Latin American countries has never been good. In fact, it worsened in January this year when he described them as “shit-hole countries“.
Furthermore, he may face some difficult questions in Peru. Soon after he took oath of office, Trump pulled the US out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which includes Peru.
He has recently imposed exorbitant tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. Brazil is one of the major exporters of steel to the United States.
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