SINGAPORE — Hours after his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un arrived in Singapore, U.S. President Donald Trump landed at the country’s Paya Lebar Air Base aboard Air Force One on Sunday just before 8.30 p.m. local time.
Trump flew to Singapore from Canada, where he’d been attending the G-7 summit of the world’s leading industrial nations in Quebec. Trump left the summit early to travel to Singapore, but not before butting heads over trade issues with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other allies.
Trump was greeted at the air base by Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore’s minister for foreign affairs, and other officials. His heavily guarded motorcade soon left and was filmed arriving at the Shangri-La Hotel in downtown Singapore, where the president will reportedly be staying.
The black limousine that Trump was traveling in, known colloquially as “The Beast,” was adorned with a U.S. flag and a Singapore one.
Police warned of traffic congestion around the air base and along roads near the hotel, citing the North Korea-U.S. summit as a reason for the delays.
Trump’s delegation is believed to have booked hundreds of Shangri-La’s 747 rooms. In the days leading up to his arrival, buses carrying Secret Service agents and military personnel have been seen arriving at the hotel.
Former U.S. Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush stayed in the same suite, which has its own private entrance and elevator, during previous visits to Singapore.
The Shangri-La is a roughly 10-minute walk from the St. Regis Hotel, where Kim Jong Un is believed to be staying. A motorcade reported to be carrying Kim was filmed traveling from Singapore’s Changi Airport to the hotel on Sunday afternoon.
Hours after his arrival, Kim met with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who live-streamed the meeting.
Lee will be meeting with Trump on Monday, according to Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Trump and Kim will be hold their summit on Tuesday morning at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa, a tiny island off Singapore’s southern coast, for their highly-anticipated meeting.
Trump is pushing for North Korea to agree to give up its arsenal of nuclear weapons. He told reporters at the G-7 meeting that he will know “within the first minute” if the summit with Kim is going well based on his “touch” and “feel.”
“That’s what I do,” the president said.
This story has been updated with details of Trump’s arrival in Singapore.