Trump departs US for marathon Asia trip, to visit 5 countries in two weeks

Beset by challenges at home, President Donald Trump on Friday embarked on the longest trip to Asia by an American president in more than a quarter century, looking for help to pressure North Korea to stand down from a nuclear crisis.

Trump departed the United States, beginning an almost two week trip to Asia that will take in five countries.

Trump left Joint Base Andrews, just outside Washington, bound for Hawaii. From there he will travel on to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines.

As he left, Trump unleashed a barrage of invective against political foes and his own Justice Department, which is investigating his campaign’s ties to Russia.

Trump also used his departure to announce that the already marathon trip will be extended to include an East Asia Summit in the Philippines, which he had been slated to miss.