Trump to arrive today for holiday
Security to be tight near Mar-a-Lago during Thanksgiving trip.
PALM BEACH — After an absence of more than seven months and about 1,700 t weets, President Donald Trump is expected to return to Mar-a-Lago this evening to begin a Thanksgiving visit at his winter White House.
Air Force One is expected to arrive at Palm Beach International Airport sometime after 5:15 p.m., according to a Federal Aviation Administration advisory. Based on Trump’s previous presidential visits, that will likely mean traffic closures along Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach
about that time.
“The public can expect the usual type of road closures and delays associated with the visits,” said Teri Barbera, spokeswoman for the Palm Beach County Sheriff ’s Office, which is the lead local law enforcement agency when the president visits. “We will strive to make the delays as minimal as possible, yet ensure the safety of the president and the public.”
Road closures in Palm Beach — including the complete shutdown of South Ocean Boulevard from the intersection with South County Road to Southern Boulevard — begin at 8 a.m. today and extend through Sunday, when the president is expected to leave.
The county’s small Lantana airport will be effectively closed from 5:15 p.m. today through 7:30 p.m. Sunday because of Secret Service restrictions on flights within 10 nautical miles of Mar-a-Lago.
Boats, kayak er sand other personal watercraft will not be allowed near Mar-a-Lago. Armed gunships will patrol the Intra-
coastal Waterway and stop vessels passing the estate.
Trump visited Mar-a-Lago for extended Thanksgiving and Christmas stays as president-elect in 2016. After his inauguration, higher security accompanied his seven presidential visits to Palm Beach bet ween February and April.
Trump’s last visit to Palm Beach was during Easter weekend. At the time, the Real Clear Politics average of polls showed 42.4 percent of Americans approving of his job performance and 50.4 percent disapproving. On Monday, Trump’s average approval score was 38.3 percent, and his disapproval rating was 57.1 percent.
But Trump c an expec t overwhelming support on the tarmac at PBIA when he arrives.
Republican activist Sue Snowden, who was the Palm Beach County chairwoman for Trump’s 2016 campaign, organizes a group of about 100 Trump supporters to greet Air Force One whenever the president arrives. On a few of his visits earlier this year, Trump stopped by to shake hands and sign autographs before getting into his limousine for the short ride to Mar-a-Lago.
“People like to welcome him. They love seeing Air Force One. They love to wave to him when he comes off the airplane, and they are wishing that he comes over because he has before, and they want to be there in case he does,” Snowden said.
Snowden said the gatherings are meant to tell the president that “we’re still here. All of his base is still here. We’re not moving. The base is just as strong or stronger.”
In addition to the group at the airport, a Facebook group called Florida for Trump 2020 is organizing supporters to wave signs along the motorcade route.
Trump’s opponents are also planning to make their presence known. One group already held an anti-Trump march in West Palm Beach on Nov. 11. The public employee union AFSCME on Monday announced plans to hold a pro-immigrant demonstration outside Mar-a-Lago at 11 a.m. today; it was unclear how close the group would be able to get to Trump’s property.