Donald Trump cancels Latin America trip to focus on Syria

Trump’s decision to skip the South America trip marks the first time an American president has not attended the summit. Vice President Mike Pence will travel in Trump’s place, attending the summit in Lima but not traveling to Colombia

President Donald Trump on Tuesday canceled plans to travel to South America this week, choosing to stay in the United States to manage the U.S. response to Syria’s apparent chemical weapons attack on civilians.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Tuesday that Trump will not attend the 8th Summit of the Americas in Lima, Peru or travel to Bogota, Colombia, as planned, remaining in the United States to “oversee the American response to Syria and to monitor developments around the world.”