Trump Kept One Eye on Re-Election in Asia With His Push for Deals

Source: Bloomberg




By Justin Sink , Jennifer Jacobs , and Nick Wadhams
November 14, 2017, 6:11 AM EST

President Donald Trump had one question for Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc: Why wasn’t his country buying more American military equipment?

For Trump, a self-styled traveling salesman, crisscrossing the region to reverse decades of trade deficits, Vietnam’s decision to buy arms from Russia was incomprehensible, almost insulting. Never mind that U.S. law prevented such sales until last year.

Trump reminded Phuc that he’s been president for 10 months, according to two people who requested anonymity to discuss a private meeting. What was he waiting for?

He needed quick wins, he told his team in the room, because he’d be running for re-election before anyone realized. And weapons sales, in Trump’s view, are good for his approval ratings.

Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-14/trump-in-asia-kept-one-eye-on-re-election-with-push-for-deals