Trump Can Go to Davos If Government Shuts Down, Officials Say

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump can attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland next week even if the U.S. government shuts down over a spending impasse, senior administration officials said.

Air Force One would still be allowed to fly in a shutdown, and necessary staff and security to support the president’s travels could accompany him, the officials said in a conference call with reporters. They insisted on anonymity as a condition of the briefing.

It’s not clear if Trump would choose to proceed with his trip to Davos during a shutdown, with hundreds of thousands of federal employees on unpaid furlough. The Switzerland event is an annual gathering of the world’s economic and political elite, where Trump plans to deliver a speech on his “America First” agenda.

He would be the first U.S. president to attend the forum since 2000.

Trump already postponed his departure for his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, where he was to attend a high-dollar gala celebrating the first anniversary of his inauguration on Saturday.

To contact the reporter on this story: Justin Sink in Washington at jsink1@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net.

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