WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump's maiden international trip, a five-stop marathon across the Middle East and Europe, has long loomed as crucial first test abroad for the chaos-courting president.
That was before he fired his FBI director - and the chain reaction of scandal that followed.
Now, with the eyes of the world upon him, the president will embark on his trip carrying the baggage of dire troubles at home.
As he tries to calm allies worried about his "America First" message, he'll be followed by fallout from his firing of FBI Director James Comey and the appointment of a special counsel to probe Trump's ties to Russia.
Trump's itinerary begins Saturday in Saudi Arabia.