Barack Obama begins the final foreign visit of his eight-year presidency Saturday in Peru, facing tough questions from assembled Pacific leaders about Donald Trump’s election victory. Obama is in lima for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit that is likely to focus heavily on Trump’s shock victory.
He will meet leaders of the 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, which Trump has opposed and now faces an uncertain future. White House officials admit the chances of passing the deal are slim, but Obama will urge leaders to give the new president time to formulate policy. From Obama down, officials have stressed that US economic and strategic interests have not changed as a result of the election, and Trump may yet recalibrate his views.