Trump Palm Beach Visit: First Mar-a-Lago Trip of Season
President Donald Trump returned to Palm Beach County on Saturday, with the Trump Palm Beach visit marking his first trip of the season to Mar-a-Lago and his first time back in the area since the spring. The weekend stay follows a pair of midterm campaign rallies and lands just weeks before the November 3 general election.
Flight Restrictions Signal the Trip
The strongest sign of the president’s arrival came from the skies. The Federal Aviation Administration planned presidential-level “VIP” temporary flight restrictions over Mar-a-Lago from October 16 to 18, according to notices issued October 12 by the FAA and the Boca Raton Airport Authority.
The White House has not publicly confirmed the trip’s details, and a Secret Service spokesperson declined to comment on the president’s travel plans. White House press secretary Katie Zacharia said at an October 13 briefing that Trump would soon head to Florida, with stops in Georgia and Kentucky along the way.
Trump’s last visit to Mar-a-Lago was May 1–2. He traditionally stays away from the club during the off-season, which runs roughly from Mother’s Day through the end of October. This weekend also lines up with the Mar-a-Lago Beach Club’s season-opening party, scheduled for Saturday, October 17.
Toss-Up Races Loom in the Backyard
The timing puts the president in the middle of his own swing county. The Cook Political Report rates two Palm Beach County House races as toss-ups: Republican Casey Askar against Democrat Pia Dandiya in District 22, and Republican Scott Singer against incumbent Democrat Jared Moskowitz in District 25.
Saturday’s arrival capped a busy midterm travel weekend for Trump, who held a campaign rally Saturday afternoon at Northern Kentucky University’s Truist Arena. The return to Palm Beach also lands on a high-visibility weekend nationally: thousands of “No Kings” events unfolded across the country Saturday, including several in South Florida.
Early voting in Florida begins Monday at 7 a.m. Trump has voted by mail in Florida, including in the August primary, and invoked a state law to shield his personal voter records from public disclosure going forward.
Source: Palm Beach Post / WPTV