- Trump leaves for Saudi Arabia Friday
- It's his first foreign trip as President
begin quote from:
Besieged at home, Trump sets off for 'do-or-die' foreign trip
Why Trump's first foreign tour is unusual 00:58
Story highlights
Washington (CNN)Given his current political fortunes, if President Donald Trump's crucial first foreign trip passes off without a disaster, it will be considered a success.
The
President embarks on a journey Friday to Saudi Arabia, Israel and
global summits in Italy and Belgium, after one of the most tumultuous
and damaging weeks any President has had to endure.
The
appointment of a special counsel to investigate whether there was any
collusion between Trump aides and the Kremlin's election hacking effort
capped a stunning rush of events unleashed by the President's firing of
FBI Director James Comey, who declined Trump's request to shield former
national security adviser Michael Flynn in the Russia probe, The New York Times first reported and CNN confirmed.
It
was a week that eventually could put Trump's entire presidency in
jeopardy and has left his White House dispirited, confused and at odds
with itself.
Foreign trips, with
their long flights, cumulative jet lag, high stakes and confined
conditions can easily exacerbate tensions within White House teams, and
the Trump camp is the most divided and acrimony-riddled West Wing in
recent memory.
In fact, for some senior officials who have lost the President's confidence, the tour may be a final chance to save their jobs.
"It's kind of do-or-die," said one official, referring both to the staff and stakes for the President.
As
a result, Trump will head into his trip, an ambitious first stride
across the global stage, pursued by a political maelstrom at home and
facing questions from foreign leaders about the viability of his
government.
"One question everyone
outside the United States has, and are not likely to ask the President,
is what is his actual political strength relative to the divisions with
Congress, the problems within his own party?" said Anthony Cordesman of
the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"Can he move forward with his own agenda? That will certainly be a question as he visits any country overseas."
Significant test
The
President's debut foreign tour was always going to mark a significant
test, given the challenging itinerary and his own complete lack of
diplomatic experience. Foreign trips are a grueling proposition for even
the most seasoned commander in chief -- with their tedious summits and
official dinners, stifling protocol and on-camera moments ripe for a
misstep that can cause a diplomatic incident or ignite a political
firestorm.
But the chaos that has
raged around Trump since he took office, the difficulty his press team
has in keeping up with his contradictory statements and tweets and his
sheer unpredictability make this tour even more of a high-wire act.
Then
there is the treacherous nature of the issues he must confront, from
Middle Eastern power politics, Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, the
future of NATO which he savaged on the campaign trail and European
concern about the impact of his protectionist trade policies.
In
addition, the sheer logistical challenge meanwhile of moving a
President around the world is enormous. There is immense pressure on his
advance teams of young, inexperienced staffers who negotiate the
stagecraft of Trump's encounters with foreign leaders and prepare
agendas of meetings.
Any incident
or comment that offends a host or appears to suggest that Trump is not
up to the job or out of his depth could exacerbate concerns about his
suitability for the Presidency that have been frequently raised during
his four months in office. This week, he only further fueled concerns when The Washington Post first reported he spilled top secret intelligence in an Oval Office meeting with a Russian delegation.
And just because
Trump is away from the United States, the barrage of blockbuster news
stories about his administration is unlikely to stop, meaning that his
harried staff will be forced to come up with crisis management
strategies from many time zones away from the White House.
Trump's reported griping about the length of his trip,
and the fact that he has been severely distracted during his
preparation time this week by the Russia storm, raises the stakes even
more.
"I think he needs to keep his
mind on what is going to be a very important trip," said former
secretary of state Madeleine Albright, a Democrat, on CNN's "New Day" on
Thursday. "He represents the United States, even if we are setting kind
of a low bar for this trip -- if he doesn't make mistakes. I hope that
there is not one single tweet about anything in the nine days he is
gone."
If the President wants to,
he can use the trip as a way to break out of a debilitating period for
his administration, to try to win some positive headlines for a change
and even to engineer a morale boost for himself.
After
all, his fellow foreign leaders are deeply curious about his agenda
and, in Saudi Arabia and Israel in particular, are likely to want to
make a positive impression. Trump is a collegial character who has spent
extended time socializing with some visiting foreign leaders so he
might actually enjoy the interaction. However, as a noted homebody, he
might find it more difficult to relax in a foreign capital than at his
Mar-a-Lago resort where he has hosted several foreign dignitaries.
'America First'
Trump's
aides acknowledge the trip will not erase the political turmoil back
home. But they believe the seriousness of the issues Trump will confront
can help realign the President. No one can guarantee he is ready to
move on from blasting the Russia probe.
World
leaders, however, are less likely to be interested in the details of
Trump's political woes than they are keen to gauge the impact of his
"America First" policies on their nations, regions and alliances.
In
Europe especially, they want to know whether Trump will pull out of the
Paris climate accord and want to test his true feelings for Russia,
which is seen as a threat in much of Europe.
As
soon Trump leaves Washington he will be heading for the deep end of
global geopolitics. Most US presidents get their feet wet with a quick,
easy trip to Canada or Mexico. Not Trump, though in truth his hostility
to the North America Free Trade Agreement would have made either of
those stops challenging.
Instead,
his first steps on foreign soil as President will pitch him into the
bear pit of Middle Eastern politics in the world's most war-ravaged
region, where sectarian tensions seethe and leaders have to master the
law of the political jungle simply to survive.
Still,
Trump does have one advantage. US allies in Israel and Saudi Arabia
often expressed deep dissatisfaction with the Obama administration's
foreign policy, and outreach to Iran, capped by the controversial
nuclear deal.
They are pre-disposed to the reset that Trump says he represents.
"The
President is going to the Middle East to let our friends know we are
back and to let our enemies know we are back," said David Urban, who ran
the President's successful Pennsylvania campaign and worked with his
transition team, on CNN.
Trump is
widely expected to unveil a massive arms deal in Saudi Arabia, and will
huddle with leaders of Muslim-majority nations to discuss how to respond
to Iran's power projection in the region. He's also likely to complain
about the Obama administration's Iran nuclear deal, though his
administration has certified that Tehran is sticking to the terms of the
agreement.
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