German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s first face-to-face meeting with President Donald Trump will have to wait an extra three days due to a winter storm that threatens to shutdown Washington.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said the planned Oval Office sit-down, scheduled for Tuesday, was postponed until Friday.
The day of events was slated to include talks, a news conference, and a working lunch. The same itinerary will occur on Friday, Spicer told reporters at the White House.
According to aides and analysts, Trump’s meeting with Merkel is the most important sit-down with a foreign leader since the Republican businessman took office in January.
The pair have much to discuss, including Russia, trade and NATO. Trump is also expected to raise Merkel’s stance on refugees, which he harshly criticized on the campaign trail.
The storm in Washington is expected to begin Monday evening and continue into Tuesday. Forecasts said the nation’s capital is due for five to 10 inches of snow, the first major snowfall of the year.
More than 7,600 US flights scheduled to depart from Monday to Wednesday were canceled, according to Flightaware.com.
American Airlines said its cancellations involved 40 airports, including major hubs in Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and Washington.
New York City could get up to 20 inches of snow, Mayor Bill De Blasio said. Coastal flooding and wind gusts as high as 40 to 50 miles per hour (64 to 80 kilometers per hour) were also forecast.
