Donald Trump is back in Mar-Lago. No more alone
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"I wave to them," recalls President Donald Trump after greeting the machine gunners who patrolled the field. "They do not make waves."
The couple does not have any official events in Florida, but Trump's Palm Beach days are ruled by routine: morning outings at the nearby golf club, burgers with friends in the club- house, evenings on the terrace and occasional stop at a charity event or wedding in progress in the baroque ballroom he named himself. and the cold of Washington on a Friday afternoon and his return to the White House Sunday before noon. He spent nearly 80 days in his presidency in this country, hosting world leaders, convening meetings with councilors, chatting with friends, and talking with family members. The administration has qualified the installation of "winter white house".
Like all presidents, Trump travels with a large team that keeps him in touch at all times, including in Mar-a-Lago. A secure communication room – known as SCIF – has been developed in the field. And usually, a collection of senior assistants accompany him to the club.
This weekend, Trump will prepare his speech on the state of the Union. He delivers this Tuesday. And he still has decisions to make on the declaration of a national emergency to secure the financing of the border wall.
But the visit may not be just work. On Sunday, he is expected to head to the Super Bowl party held at the Trump International Golf Club, next to the West Palm Beach Airport. In recent years, the event has been animated by a fanfare, which the president and the first lady like to watch before going to the club. Last year's group, from Florida Atlantic University, performed "Shut Up and Dance"
"Poor me"
It will be a festive return for a president who used his loneliness at the White House as a negotiating ploy during the government's closure.
"I'm alone (poor me) at the White House," he tweeted on Christmas Eve.
A few weeks later, he told Fox News: "I have not really left the White House for months", although he ventured on a surprise trip to L & # 39; Iraq and a speech in Louisiana.
"Basically, I have been here for several months in the White House," he said three weeks after the start of the shutdown, the long periods of time seemingly seemingly longer than they did. Were actually. 19659014] The period was a record – both for federal employees on leave, who supported the longest period of funding in history, and for Trump, who spent the longest period of his presidency without playing golf.
As the closure came to an end, the fever of the president's cabin was obvious, according to his aides. He began several meetings in late January while whispering "Welcome to Paradise" to the assembled councilors.
It will be a different story this weekend in Florida, according to Laurence Leamer, author of a new book on Trump's field. in Florida, Mar-a-Lago: At the gates of power at Donald Trump's presidential palace. "
" It will be an extraordinary event this weekend when he will be there. When he gets there, everyone will come to the club, "said Leamer." People are fighting to go, fighting for dinner reservations. He is sitting in the porch outside for a three-hour dinner and everyone is around him. He loves it. "
" He says he's not friends at the White House, "he added." That's not the case, so he's make it there and he has people who suck it constantly. And he likes it a lot. He loves Palm Beach. That's his spiritual home. "
Indeed, Trump found some of his most ardent supporters in the walls of his club – and sometimes just outside, where a crowd of supporters wearing MAGA-hat sometimes presents himself to greet his procession as he goes to the golf club.On occasions, the president has dispatched an assistant to the roadside gathering to gather some of the supporters and bring them back inside the club for a photo.
In the club
Numerous characters from Mar The -a-Lago members – who now pay $ 200,000 in initial dues plus 14 $ 000 per year thereafter – also became strong supporters of the president and he supported them: at least four of them were appointed to ambassador positions and reports indicate that Others exert a disproportionate influence in the treatment of Veterans by Trump.
This has attracted the attention of congressional democrats and ethics groups, who say the club is not transparent and could constitute a fee-based transaction. The safety of the installation was also questioned. a report from the Government Accountability Office entitled "Presidential Security: Control of People and Secure Areas in Mar-a-Lago" has been banned from the public because it contains sensitive information.
These questions were sparked by an episode at the beginning of Trump's presidency when He spoke with his Japanese counterpart about a missile launch in North Korea in front of the club's guests. While mixed salads were served and piano music floated in the air, members took photos of Trump on their phones and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe huddled around the newspapers to formulate his response.
in public view at the club. Members were informed that photos are not allowed and that a cord of velvet now separates the chair's table from the rest of the guests.
The club is nevertheless far from the imposing limits of the White House. Last year, at Easter, boxing impresario Don King – disguised as Uncle Sam – joined the president's table before releasing him, loudly proclaiming the success of Trump's presidency.
This is a more conducive environment for all. Trump than snowy Washington, which Trump ended up considering as hostile. This week alone, Democrats understood their refusal to support a border wall, and career intelligence officers seemed to contradict it in their assessments of global threats.
The warm breeze of Palm Beach calls it.
"It's his spiritual home, he likes to be there," said Leamer. "He created this world around him, people tell him he's great, and everywhere he walks, people say," You're great, Donald. "He must return."
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