Jan 20, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Trump to attend Davos amid impeachment trial

Jacob Knutson

President boarding Air Force One on Jan. 14. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

President Trump departs for Davos, Switzerland, on Monday night to attend the World Economic Forum, placing him thousands of miles away from Washington as the Senate hashes out the rules of his impeachment trial.

Why it matters: Senators on Tuesday will determine the rules that dictate the course of the trial, including how much time lawyers will have to make arguments and whether witnesses will be able to testify.

Details: The leaders he will meet include Iraqi President Barham Salih, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Swiss Confederation President Simonetta Sommaruga and Nechirvan Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq.

Trump will also meet Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Klaus Schwab, the World Economic Forum founder, according to Reuters.

The big picture: Trump has been away from Washington at key moments of the impeachment process. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced the impeachment inquiry while he attended the United Nations General Assembly last fall.

The House Judiciary Committee held its first impeachment hearing in December while the president was at NATO summit in the United Kingdom.

Between the lines: The forum will give Trump a platform to tout the "phase one" trade deal the U.S. and China signed last week.

Of note: This is Trump's first return to Davos since 2018, USA Today reports. Trump did not attend the 2019 forum because it occurred during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.

Go deeper: What's next in the impeachment witness battle

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