The White House has drawn up plans for the first foreign visit of President Donald Trump and, while earlier presidents began such travels with Canada, Trump has decided to start it from Saudi Arabia from where he plans to go to Israel and then to the Vatican. He is keen to prove that he is not like previous presidents and, therefore, Canada can wait.
The itinerary of the foreign tour
CNN reports that president Donald Trump plans to touch down in the capitals of three major world religions in Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Vatican as a part of his foreign visit.
It will be a major achievement for him because, till now, he has shunned major trips outside of Washington.
His tentative date of arrival in the Middle East would be end of May and the first stop would be in Saudi Arabia. The intention is to clear misconceptions about his religious beliefs and to show to the world that he does not harbor any ill feeling towards Muslims. Sending out such a message was necessary to pacify the people of the Islamic world because his executive order that puts a hold on entry of citizens of certain Muslim-majority nations into the USA is a matter of worry to them and Trump wants to assure them of a fair deal.
Would it be smooth sailing?
When such foreign visits are planned for the president, it is customary to have a chief of protocol who would be responsible to evolve detailing plans with the foreign government before a President travels abroad.
The chief of protocol is a must especially when countries like Saudi Arabia and Israel are involved. Each of them have their own religious beliefs and political sensitivities and it is important to follow protocol so that there are no hiccups that could lead to embarrassment.
There are other areas of concern that need to be addressed by those entrusted with organizing the visit.
One of these is the time gap between landing at the airport and the start of the meetings. The president would have to adjust to the new time setting and get over the jet lag.
Moreover, state dinners are a part of the program for such visits capitals and these, at times, can extend late into the evening. Therefore, if there are early talks the next day, it becomes taxing.
Obviously, with five stops crammed into the space of a little more than a week, it would be too much for the president.
Till now, the outside world had seen and heard Donald Trump long distance via reports in the media and now they would get a chance to observe him from close quarters. Such interaction could lay the groundwork for future missions and open up the doors that would encourage useful dialogue to settle long pending issues. The world has painted a larger than life picture of the President of the United States who is considered to be the most powerful man in the world. He had taken tough stands on certain matters in Syria, Afghanistan and North Korea and the world is curious to know more about him.
