Trump does cop photo-op at PBIA
PALM BEACH — President Donald Trump normally makes it out the door of his limousine and up the steps into Air Force One in a few uneventful seconds when he concludes a visit to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach.
But the president took his time Sunday afternoon at Palm Beach International Airport as he wrapped up a six-day Florida trip. Trump walked over to a group of 33 motorcycle officers from the Palm Beach County Sheriff ’s Office and other agencies for a group picture with the presidential plane in the background. The officers applauded before the president struck a double-thumbs up pose for the picture.
Trump also paused to talk to a Florida Highway Patrol officer and then pointed to a group of six Air Force personnel in combat
fatigues and walked over to them for a photo. He eventually boarded Air Force One and departed for Washington at about 2:45 p.m.
Trump’s latest Palm Beach trip, his 17th as president, included a two-day summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in which the leaders reaffirmed their “maximum pressure” approach to North Korea ahead of Trump’s planned denuclearization talks with Kim Jong Un. Trump also visited Hialeah to promote tax cuts and Key West to draw attention to efforts to combat drug and human trafficking.
And throughout the week, Trump used his Twitter account to express his frustrations with special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russian collusion probe, fired FBI Director James Comey’s media blitz and the legal predicament of his personal attorney, Michael Cohen.
About an hour before leaving Mar-a-Lagoon Sunday, Trump fired off one of the shortest tweets of his presidency.
“A complete Witch Hunt!” the president tweeted.
Trump also got in a few rounds of golf during the week at nearby Trump International Golf Club in unincorporated West Palm Beach but did not visit the course Sunday. He spent at least a portion of Sunday morning watching and tweeting at political talk shows.
He noted a Fox News report about Republican lawmakers asking Attorney General Jeff Sessions to investigate Comey and Hillary Clinton, tweeting “Good luck with that request!”
Trump also took issue with a comment by NBC’s Chuck Todd that North Korea’s Kim, who pledged Friday to suspend nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic missile launches, “seems to be giving very little but making it seem like he’s giving up a lot ... What has the United States gotten yet?”
Replied Trump: “Sleepy Eyes Chuck Todd of Fake News NBC just stated that we have given up so much in our negotiations with North Korea, and they have given up nothing. Wow, we haven’t given up anything & they have agreed to denuclearization (so great for World), site closure, & no more testing!”
In a follow-up tweet, Trump said: “We are a long way from conclusion on North Korea, maybe things will work out, and maybe they won’t — only time will tell ... But the work I am doing now should have been done a long time ago!”
Shortly after Air Force One took off, Trump tweeted again about North Korea.
“Funny how all of the Pundits that couldn’t come close to making a deal on North Korea are now all over the place telling me how to make a deal!” the president tweeted.
Trump also tweeted a picture of himself with the motorcycle officers as Air Force One made its way north.
“Thank you to the incredible Law Enforcement Officers from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office,” Trump tweeted. “They keep us safe and are very cool about it!”