‘Be thankful for me’: Trump’s Thanksgiving message
THE US President said one thing and his press team said something completely opposite. Trump cleared up the confusion ... sort of.
IT’S been an eventful Thanksgiving break for United States President Donald Trump, and a busy one, depending on who you ask.
On his first day in Mar-a-Lago in Florida for the Thanksgiving break, Mr Trump tweeted he would be “having meetings’ and working the phones from his “winter White House”.
A White House press secretary, however, somehow missed the memo, telling media travelling with the President that she expected a “low-key day” on Wednesday, according to the “pool report” shared by journalists.
But within minutes, that message was reversed, with Trump staffers moving to clear up misunderstandings.
“While the White House communications staff expects the press pool to have a ‘low-key day’,” it read, “the president will NOT have a low-key day and has a full schedule of meetings and phone calls”.
Will be having meetings and working the phones from the Winter White House in Florida (Mar-a-Lago). Stock Market hit new Record High yesterday - $5.5 trillion gain since E. Many companies coming back to the U.S. Military building up and getting very strong.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2017
But it all got messy about 90 minutes later, when Mr Trump’s motorcade rolled out of his private Mar-a-Lago playground and headed to Trump International Golf Club.
CHEEKY GOLF GAME?
The president with the full schedule was there for five hours, leading to speculation he was enjoying a cheeky round of golf.
Media travelling with the president weren’t invited into the golf course, given an area not far away, from which they couldn’t see the President.
The White House did not offer details on what he did during his nearly five hours at the club.
It led some to wonder, if he was golfing, why not just say so. Surely Thanksgiving Eve is an OK time for a quick round?
Before taking office, Mr Trump frequently criticised former president Barack Obama for playing golf, once famously tweeting: “Can you believe that, with all of the problems and difficulties facing the US, President Obama spent the day playing golf?”
It was the 16th day Trump has spent as President at the West Palm Beach golf course, according to an NBC tracker.
Ten months into his presidency, Mr Trump has made about 50 visits to golf clubs — all but one of which bear his name, according to Vanity Fair.
BE THANKFUL FOR ME
On Thursday, Mr Trump was back on public Presidential duty, thanking US troops for their service, and giving himself a large pat on the back in the process.
He assured US troops “we’re really winning” against America’s foes as he celebrated Thanksgiving at Mar-a-Lago and provided lunch for Coast Guard men and women on duty for the holiday.
“That’s because I’m letting you do your job,” he told them.
Speaking from an opulent room at Mar-a-Lago, Mr Trump told deployed military members via a video conference that they’ve achieved more progress in Afghanistan and against the Islamic State group under his watch than had been made in years of the previous administration.
“Everybody’s talking about the progress you’ve made in the last few months since I opened it up,” he told the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division, whose members are conducting operations in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
“We’re being talked about again as an armed forces — we’re really winning.
“We’re not fighting anymore to just walk around, we’re fighting to win, and you people are really, you’ve turned it around over the last three to four months like nobody’s seen, and they are talking about it, so thank you very much.”
Turning to the 74th Expeditionary Fighters Squadron based at the Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, Mr Trump suggested the Obama administration hadn’t allowed soldiers on the ground to do their jobs.
“They say we’ve made more progress against ISIS than they did in years of the previous administration,” he said. “And that’s because I’m letting you do your job.”
Mr Trump told the troops they could look forward at home to the benefits of “big, beautiful fat tax cuts,” a stock market at record highs, jobs and economic growth.
TWITTER BOASTS
Throughout the day, at both scheduled events and on Twitter, Mr Trump had boasted about the economy’s performance since he took office, pointing to recent stock market gains and the unemployment rate, along with his efforts to scale back regulations and boost military spending.
“Jobs are coming back, highest Stock Market EVER, Military getting really strong, we will build the WALL, V.A. taking care of our Vets, great Supreme Court Justice, RECORD CUT IN REGS, lowest unemployment in 17 years….!,” he wrote.
Mr Trump and his wife, Melania, also made a trip to a nearby Coast Guard station in Riviera Beach, Florida, where they delivered a lunch of turkey sandwiches, giant muffins and heaped baskets of fruit, chips and cookies to men and women on duty for the holidays.
During his remarks, Mr Trump, singled out the service for its hurricane relief efforts during Harvey and the other storms that battered the country earlier this year.
FAMILY FEAST
Trump then retired to Mar-a-Lago for a family Thanksgiving feast, with traditional turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, baked goods and cheese on the menu. The menu also featured some opulent non-traditional touches including red snapper and Florida stone crab.
My great honor to join our incredible men and women of the @USCG, at the Lake Worth Inlet Station, in Riviera Beach, Florida today!#HappyThanksgiving pic.twitter.com/C35HR9opbP
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 23, 2017
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