President Trump is set to scale back international travel to focus on upcoming midterm elections after an Air Force One malfunction curtailed his sleep as he jetted into Davos.
The decision was relayed to reporters aboard the aircraft heading to Zurich on Wednesday, and news of it came after an electrical issue on board forced the plane to circle back to Washington, D.C. This ate into the president’s schedule and whittled away the notoriously light sleeper’s opportunity for some shut-eye.
The president swapped planes back in the capital and continued his journey, heavily delayed, to Switzerland. His second departure, just after midnight, is thought to have added a further three hours to his journey.
Trump, 79, emerged from the second plane in Zurich on Wednesday morning looking frazzled, before slowly descending the stairs. Despite the setback, the president still made it in time to address world leaders in Davos, though his voice sounded hoarse and he appeared to have bags under his eyes.
CNN White House Correspondent Alayna Treene reported that her colleague, frequent Trump target Kaitlan Collins, said his Chief of Staff Susie Wiles relayed the message that the president would be moving away from international travel to tour U.S. cities ahead of November midterms.
Wiles told the press pool that Trump’s new intinerary will begin in Iowa on Tuesday, where the president will give a speech on the economy. He will then visit a new destination “every week,” Bloomberg reported, citing Wiles.
It’s part of an attempt to reverse poor marks on affordability, a main concern of voters that Trump has sought to dismiss as a “hoax” cooked up by Democrats.
Trump’s domestic charm offensive kicked off in Michigan last week. He toured Ford’s River Rouge complex in Dearborn on Tuesday afternoon before delivering a speech at the Detroit Economic Club.
However, it got off to a contentious start as Trump appeared to flip off a person heard calling him a “pedophile protector” during his visit to the vehicle plant. According to footage of the confrontation, Trump appeared to point at the accuser as he said, “f*** you,” and then gave the person the middle finger as he walked away.
That followed another speech in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, last month, where Trump rambled about the brazen U.S. capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and called the affordability issue a “hoax” twice.
His focus frustrated senior White House officials and Republican lawmakers who want the administration to emphasize economic and healthcare concerns, three people familiar with internal discussions told Reuters.
The White House has been asked to comment on Trump’s revamped travel schedule.
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