Trump slurps shark fin soup as U.S. works to remove itself from the shark fin trade

Donald Trump’s eventful 12-day trip around Asia has come to an end, but not without sparking some controversy.

The Associated Press reported that while at a state dinner in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Nov. 11, Trump was slurping on shark fin soup — a culinary delicacy that requires shark finning, or the brutally violent process of killing sharks, to make.

Though the dish is popular in China, the meal is causing outrage among animal rights and environmental activists who oppose shark finning, which involves catching sharks, slicing off their fins, and tossing them back into the water to die.

Around 70 million sharks are killed for soup each year using the method, which has the potential to drive sharks to extinction, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). It’s currently being debated by congress.

Earlier this month, Lora Snyder of , a…