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President Trump visits Palm Beach County for the weekend

Posted at 1:02 PM, Dec 04, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-11 01:38:54-05

President Donald Trump arrived at Palm Beach International Airport around 11:25 p.m. Friday.

The President departed Joint Base Andrews around 4:55 p.m. for Pensacola where he held a campaign-style rally at 8 p.m.

Trump departed Pensacola at 9:30 p.m. for PBIA.

A VIP Temporary Flight Restrictions notice was posted by the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday for Palm Beach County. Military transport planes were spotted at Palm Beach International Airport on Wednesday.

Traffic and air restrictions will be in effect from Friday through Sunday.

On Tuesday, the town of Palm Beach posted on their website that roads around around Mar-a-Lago will begin to close at about 1 p.m. Friday. 

Through Sunday, all forms of travel, including pedestrian travel, are prohibited on South Ocean Boulevard from the intersection of South County Road to Southern Boulevard.

The travel restrictions will also extend eastward to the ocean. If you are a resident living south of the South Ocean Blvd. and South County intersection, you will be granted access with proper credentials.

It's unclear if first lady Melania Trump or their son, Barron, will join the president during this weekend's trip.

The president was last in town for the Thanksgiving holidays, which was his first visit since the spring.

He has used his Mar-a-Lago estate as the "Winter White House" on multiple occasions since his inauguration in January.

Special Section: President Trump

This Saturday, the Salvation Army will hold its annual Snow Ball at The Breakers. The event had been planned for the president's Mar-a-Lago Club but was moved, along with about 20 other high-profile charity events, after the president's remarks in the wake of the violent demonstrations in Charlottesville, Va. in August.

Since Mar-a-Lago's grand ballroom opened more than 20 years ago, it has annually hosted numerous charity galas between Thanksgiving and Easter, the time of year Palm Beach's wealthy part-time residents flock south from colder climes. The events raise tens of thousands of dollars or more for worthy causes while allowing the givers a chance to dine, show off their finest and mingle amid the ballroom's gold-leaf bedecked halls. Trump often pops in to greet his guests.

But there won't be many galas at Mar-a-Lago this season. Several major national charities moved or canceled their fundraisers after Trump's Charlottesville comments, including the American Cancer Society, Cleveland Clinic, the International Red Cross, the Salvation Army and the breast cancer organization Susan G. Komen. Many cited the diversity of their donors and clients for their decision while acknowledging they might take a financial hit. Others, including the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, canceled earlier under pressure from anti-Trump donors and protesters.

Still, at least two national nonprofits have stepped into the void.

Orphan's Promise, a charity affiliated with the Christian Broadcasting Network that funds programs at orphanages in 67 countries, will be having its first Mar-a-Lago fundraiser in February. The network's founder, televangelist Pat Robertson, is an outspoken supporter of the president. His son, CBN chief executive officer Gordon Robertson, said the decision to hold the gala at Mar-a-Lago was made last January when some donors offered to pick up all expenses, which often well exceed $100,000. He said his father played no part.