Kushner to join Trump on first half of Asia tour: report

Jared Kushner, a White House senior adviser and President Trump’s son-in-law, is expected to attend only the first half of the president’s upcoming trip to Asia, taking a less prominent diplomatic role than he has in the past.

Politico reported Wednesday that Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump, the president’s eldest daughter and another senior adviser, will accompany the president on his visits to Japan, South Korea and China, but will head back after the Beijing stop.

That Kushner will not stay with Trump throughout the entire 12-day trip signals a reduced diplomatic role for the 36-year-old, who had been considered an important point-person for international relations in the Trump administration, particularly on China.

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Kushner, for example, played an integral role in planning Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate earlier this year.

Another key Trump White House official, trade adviser and China expert Peter Navarro, is expected to be absent from the trip altogether, according to Politico. Navarro, a China hawk, has butted heads with more moderate voices in the Trump administration over trade policy.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, national security adviser H.R. McMaster, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, senior policy adviser Stephen Miller and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will all accompany Trump on the trip, which is expected to focus primarily on trade issues and North Korea.