Trump cancels trip to Peru, Colombia

President Trump has scrapped his planned trip to Peru and Colombia, the White House announced Tuesday.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump will remain in Washington to oversee the response to an apparent chemical weapons attack in Syria. Vice President Pence will travel in Trump’s place.

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“President Trump will not attend the 8th Summit of the Americas in Lima, Peru or travel to Bogota, Colombia as originally scheduled,” Sanders said in a statement.

“At the president’s request, the Vice President will travel in his stead. The president will remain in the United States to oversee the American response to Syria and to monitor developments around the world.”

The White House had already cut down the number of days Trump planned to spend in South America after Peru’s president resigned over corruption allegations.

Trump said Monday evening that the Syrian chemical attack will be “met forcefully” by the U.S., pointing a finger at Syrian President Bashar Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump refused to say when a potential military strike would occur.

The decision also comes as Trump deals with the fallout of an FBI raid on the offices of his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.

Trump has called the FBI’s actions a “disgrace” and an attack on the country and has also renewed talk of possibly firing special counsel Robert Mueller.

The raid came after a referral from Mueller’s special counsel team.

The Summit of the Americas brings together leaders of Western Hemisphere nations to discuss issues facing the region. This year’s summit theme is “Democratic Governance Against Corruption.”