U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have departed on their first overseas trip since taking office, even though investigations at home are threatening to overshadow the trip. Their first stop will be in Saudi Arabia.
The couple left the White House just after 2 p.m. ET on Friday and flew by helicopter to Joint Base Andrews, where they boarded Air Force One for a flight to the Saudi capital of Riyadh. They are expected to arrive at about 9:50 a.m. local time on Saturday (2:50 a.m. ET).
Upon arrival, Trump will meet King Salman and other members of the Saudi royal family before signing agreements to improve security and economic cooperation between the two countries. On Sunday, Trump will have lunch with leaders of more than 50 Muslim countries and deliver a speech on the need to counter extremism.
Trump will depart Riyadh on Monday and head to Israel, where he will meet Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and lay a wreath at the World Holocaust Remembrance Center before delivering remarks at the Israel Museum. He will privately meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later that day.
On Tuesday, Trump will travel to Bethlehem in the West Bank to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Trump will return to Jerusalem after the meeting to visit both the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Western Wall.
Later on Tuesday, Trump will depart Tel Aviv for a flight to the Italian capital of Rome. He will travel to the Vatican on Wednesday to meet with Pope Francis, as well as Pietro Parolin, the Cardinal Secretary of State. Trump will also tour St. Peter’s Basilica before meeting Italian President Sergio Mattarella.
Trump will then depart Rome en-route to Brussels, where on Thursday he will meet Belgian King Philippe and Prime Minister Charles Michel. He will also visit the European Union’s headquarters and meet with EU leaders ahead of a working lunch with France’s newly-elected president, Emmanuel Macron.
Later on Thursday, Trump will unveil a NATO memorial at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels. The president will afterwards be joined by U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis and both will take part in a meeting and dinner with NATO leaders.
From Brussels, Trump will fly to the Italian island of Sicily, where on Friday the president will attend the G7 Summit along with leaders of the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Japan, the EU and guest country Tunisia. They are expected to discuss economic and security matters.
Later on Friday, Trump will attend a concert of the La Scala Philharmonic, followed by a dinner which is hosted by Italian President Sergio Mattarella. The next day, Saturday, May 27, Trump will give a speech to American and Allied servicemembers before heading back to the United States.
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