Trump Says He Won’t Go to Davos If U.S. Government Is Shut Down

Jan 10 2019, 2:57 PMJan 10 2019, 4:58 PMJanuary 10 2019, 2:57 PMJanuary 10 2019, 4:58 PM

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said he will skip the annual gathering of global financial elites in the Swiss ski resort town of Davos later this month if the partial government shutdown isn’t resolved by then.

“If the shutdown continues,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday, “I won’t go.”

The U.S. delegation to the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Switzerland is to include Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and U.S. Trade Secretary Robert Lighthizer, among other top administration officials.

Mnuchin plans to attend the Davos conference with a smaller U.S. delegation even if Trump decides not to go, according to a person familiar with the Treasury secretary’s plans.

The partial U.S. government shutdown is in its 20th day, with no sign of an agreement. Trump walked out of a White House meeting with congressional leaders on Wednesday, calling it a “waste of time.” The president wants Congress to approve $5.7 billion to help fulfill a campaign promise to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border that he insists is necessary to stem illegal migration.