Trump canceled his participation in the Summit of the Americas
Donald Trump canceled his participation in the Summit of the Americas. The president of the United States will not travel to Peru or Colombia this weekend, as planned, and will send Vice President Mike Pence instead. This was announced by White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders. Trump was due to leave Washington on Friday for his first visit to Latin America since he took office in January 2017.
"The president will remain in the United States to monitor the US response to Syria and monitor global events," White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. The official added that "at the request of the president, the vice president will travel in his place."
Trump had planned to travel to Peru this Friday, April 13 to participate in the Summit of the Americas, which brings together the leaders of the region and move to Bogota on Saturday, to hold a bilateral meeting with President Juan Manuel Santos. Instead, Pence will travel to Lima this Friday, according to the White House, but he is not expected to go to Colombia, a source told CNN. A second source added that Pence is planning a trip to South America next month.
Trump has been reflecting on a response to the weekend's attack with military leaders and foreign counterparts. He has pointed out that the decision will come in a matter of days. The US president promised on Monday to respond "bluntly" to the alleged chemical attack in Syria, which he blamed the government of Bashar Al Asad and said he will make a decision in the coming hours about what is this reprisal. "We cannot let this happen in this world, especially when, thanks to the power of the United States, we have the ability to stop it," the president said.
Two organizations supported by the US have reported that at least 42 people died on Saturday in the rebel town of Duma, outside Damascus, with symptoms of having suffered a chemical attack. But no other source has confirmed that it was a bombardment with chemical substances and, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, at least 21 people perished that day by asphyxia, but as a result of the "collapse of the buildings" in which they were.