Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appeared to cast doubt on Trump’s visit to China taking place as scheduled at the end of the month, but insisted this was not to pressure Beijing to help unblock the Strait of Hormuz.
“We will see whether the visit takes place as scheduled,” Bessent said. “But what I do want to parse, and there’s a false narrative out there that if the meetings are delayed, it wouldn’t be delayed because the President’s demanded that China police the Straits of Hormuz.”
He appeared to be referencing a story published by the Financial Times, which reported that Trump said in an interview that he wanted China to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and that he wanted to know before the planned summit. Trump said that “we may delay” the summit, but he did not tell the outlet for how long.
Bessent said on CNBC that if the trip is rescheduled, “it would be rescheduled because of logistics.”
“The president wants to remain, the, in D.C. to coordinate the war effort, and that traveling abroad at a time like this may not be optimal,” he said. Asked by CNBC to clarify whether the meeting could be rescheduled due to timing rather than a dispute over the strait, Bessent said “Exactly.”
“It would be a decision president made as commander in chief, to stay in the White House or to stay in the United States while this war is being prosecuted,” he said.
Later, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the trip might be delayed, adding, “As soon as we have an update, we’ll provide the new dates.” She said that Trump’s top priority was “to ensure the continued success” of the Iran operation.
NBC News has reached out to the White House for comment on the reason for the trip potentially being delayed.