Trump Attempted To Go To DMZ But Had To Turn Back Because Of Weather
(CNN) — President Donald Trump attempted to make an unannounced visit to the demilitarized zone between North Korea and South Korea, but had to turn back because of bad weather. He was aboard Marine One en route when they had to return, according to reporters traveling with him.
Trump was disappointed and pretty frustrated he had to turn back on the attempted visit to the zone, known as the DMZ, according to White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.
He was to join South Korean President Moon Jae-in as a symbol of a strong alliance. Moon had already landed nearby.
The White House had previously said Trump was not going to visit the DMZ.
"The President is not going to visit the DMZ," a White House official briefing reporters ahead of the trip had said, explaining that "there is not enough time in the schedule" and that visiting the DMZ has become "a little bit of a cliché."
The official said the White House had to pick between a visit to the DMZ or a visit to Camp Humphreys, a joint US-South Korean military base, which South Korean President Moon invited Trump to visit.
Trump and Moon lunched with troops at Camp Humphreys on Tuesday when Trump arrived in South Korea.
Trump's two-day stop in South Korea is part of a larger tour of Pacific nations, where he has met with other world leaders in the region including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
CNN previously reported that Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary James Mattis have all visited the DMZ this year in separate trips.
— Jim Acosta
The-CNN-Wire
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