Supporters cheer Trump at airport
‘Upbeat’ president greets fans on way to Mar-a-Lago holiday.
PALM BEACH — President Donald Trump arrived at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday night for a Thanksgiving visit and appeared energized by a crowd of more than 100 supporters who welcomed him and first lady Melania Trump at Palm Beach International Airport.
Trump’s visit, which is scheduled to run through Sunday, is his first trip to his Palm Beach estate since April.
In a few of his previous visits, Trump briefly greeted the supporters who gathered at the airport for Air Force One arrivals. But on Tuesday, he spent about 18 minutes with the crowd signing autographs, shaking hands and talking with his fans.
Trump also accepted an oil painting of himself from 90-yearold Bea Doone-Merena, a Boca Raton artist who brought two larger-than-life portraits of the president to the airport. Trump kept a stern-faced likeness of himself in a dark suit and red tie, and he autographed the other paint-
ing, which depicted him in a red “Make America Great Again” hat, and gave it back to Doone-Merena.
“He let me kiss him on the cheek. How do you like that?” Doone-Merena said afterward. “It was fabulous.”
The president also autographed hats from a group of sailors and a “Welcome Home President Trump!” banner for Sue Snowden, who was co-chair of Trump’s 2016 campaign in Palm Beach County.
“He was very upbeat,” Snowden said of the president.
Trump could be heard talking about the performance of the stock market before reporters were whisked away.
Air Force One landed just after sunset at about 5:45 p.m. The president and first lady and son Barron descended the staircase from the plane a few minutes before 6 p.m. Trump’s motorcade left the airport around 6:15 p.m. and arrived at Mar-a-Lago about 10 minutes later.
A mix of supporters and opponents and people holding up phones to record video could be seen along Southern Boulevard as the motorcade sped past. Southern was shut down in West Palm Beach from about 5:45 p.m. until about 6:20 p.m.
In front of Dreher Park just east of Interstate 95, a large sign read “RESIGN” and another said “PHONY.” Farther east, a group of supporters stood behind a “TEAM DEPLORABLES” sign and others waved flags with Trump’s campaign logo. There was a “Treason Trump” sign and one that said “Hillary For Prison.”
The White House has not announced any official business on Trump’s schedule while he is in Palm Beach.
Before leaving Washington, Trump observed Thanksgiving presidential tradition by ceremonially granting pardons to a pair of turkeys at the White House.
He also weighed in for the first time on Roy Moore, the Republican candidate in a special Alabama U.S. Senate election who has been accused of sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl and other overtures toward teenagers while he was in his 30s in the late 1970s.
Before boarding Marine One to go from the White House to Joint Base Andrews for the flight to West Palm Beach, Trump called Moore’s Democratic opponent, Doug Jones, a liberal who would be “bad on crime, bad on borders, bad with the military, bad for the Second Amendment.”
As for the accusations against Moore, Trump repeatedly said that Moore has denied the claims and that “40 years is a long time.”
While the president was still in Washington, more than 300 protesters organized by the public employee union AFSCME and other groups attempted to march from West Palm Beach to Mar-a-Lago to register concerns about immigrants’ rights. Police stopped them without incident about a quarter mile from the estate.
Still, organizers declared success.
“I think this was one of the most high-profile actions today in reaction to TPS,” said Unite Here spokeswoman Rachel Gumpert. “I hope (Trump) takes some time to reflect on what this will mean to the 50,000 Haitian families that will be impacted by this.”
The initials refer to the temporary protected status that the federal government has provided about 50,000 Haitian immigrants living in the United States in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti. The U.S. extends TPS for 18-month periods, with the latest extension ending July 22, 2019.
On Monday, the administration announced it would not renew TPS, effectively giving Haitian immigrants here under the program until July 2019 to leave or face deportation. The administration is also embroiled in negotiations over the fate of “Dreamers,” undocumented students who were brought to the United States as children and want to stay and continue their studies.
As president-elect last year, Trump made extended visits to Mar-a-Lago for Thanksgiving and Christmas. He then visited seven times as president between February and April.
In front of Dreher Park, a sign read ‘RESIGN’ and another said ‘PHONY.’ Farther east, supporters stood behind a ‘TEAM DEPLORABLES’ sign.