Trump expected to visit Palm Beach this weekend
PALM BEACH — President Donald Trump is likely to visit Palm Beach on Friday for the three-day Presidents Day weekend, according to a Federal Aviation Administration advisory.
The “VIP Movement Notification” was issued Monday. There will be temporary flight restrictions for Palm Beach County during his stay. The president is expected to make a stop in Orlando on Friday before heading to Palm Beach. The exact time of Air Force One’s arrival at Palm Beach International Airport
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is unknown.
This weekend’s visit coincides with a fundraiser Saturday night at Mar-a-Lago hosted by Orphan’s Promise, a children’s ministry of the Christian Broadcasting Network founded by televangelist Pat Robertson. Robertson, a Trump supporter, interviewed the pres-
ident on his television program, The 700 Club, both during the campaign and after the election.
Orphans Promise already has raised $1.3 million from the gala, according to philanthropists. This includes 300 guests at $2,000 a ticket and table sponsorships ranging from $10,000 to $250,000 a table. More money is expected to be raised Saturday at the gala from donations through a possible auction and a call for donations.
Orphan’s Promise decided to hold its inaugural gala at the president’s private club this year because several major donors wanted the venue, a spokesman for the group said. This comes as 25 charities have canceled their fundraisers at Mar-a-Lago after the president’s comments in August about deadly violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va.
Trump’s visit this weekend could be followed by three more in the next six weeks, according to published reports and invitations to fundraisers at Mara-Lago.
■ March 2-4: An email sent to Trump donors on Sunday announced a sweepstakes, with the winner treated to dinner with the president at Mar-a-Lago on March 2. Although the email claims to be “Authorized by Trump Headquarters,” the fine print at the bottom of the entry form states the sweepstakes is “Paid for by the Republican National Committee. Not Authorized By Any Candidate Or Candidate’s Committee.”’
Trump’s re-election committee and the RNC held another sweepstakes for dinner with the president at Mar-a-Lago on Jan. 20, but Trump canceled his visit that weekend because of the government shutdown caused by Congress’ inability to pass a budget or continuing resolution.
■ March 23-25: The International Fellowship of Christian and Jews is hosting a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago with the hope that Trump will make an appearance, according to an article in The Washington Post. Since 1983, the fellowship has raised more than $1.4 billion for programs helping Jews in Israel, the former Soviet Union, Latin America, Ethiopia, and more than 50 countries, according to the fellowship’s website.
The fellowship’s biggest financers — and the likely attendees at the gala — were pleased by Trump’s policies toward Israel, especially his recent order to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, according to the article. The group is not affiliated with the Palm Beach Fellowship of Christians & Jews.
■ March 30-April 1: The Trump family traditionally spends Easter weekend at Mar-a-Lago. Last year, in Trump’s first year as president, the family attended Easter services at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-theSea in Palm Beach, where the Trumps were married and their son, Barron, was baptized.
As is the case with all presidential visits, expect the town of Palm Beach to close roads near Mar-a-Lago beginning the morning of Trump’s arrival. Marine security zones also will be in effect.
The president visited Palm Beach last year on Presidents Day weekend. He played a round of golf with pro golfer Rory Mcllroy and interviewed and named his new National Security Adviser pick, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster.