Palm Beach braces for Trump Thanksgiving visit

Palm Beach, Fla., is bracing for heavy traffic and political rallies as President Trump makes his way to the town for Thanksgiving, the Palm Beach Daily News reported Sunday.

Trump is expected to spend Thanksgiving at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, arriving on Tuesday and staying through the weekend. He last visited Mar-a-Lago in April.

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“I think that is all according to who you speak to and certainly we are very honored to have the president of the United States in our illustrious community,” Palm Beach Mayor Gail Coniglio said when asked if Trump’s visit is good for the town.

While public officials were hesitant to declare Trump’s visits a positive or negative, local business owners are more concerned that road closures and flight restrictions could harm sales.

Lantana Airport could lose $350,000 in business over Thanksgiving and Christmas this year due to the president’s visits, according to the report. The Secret Service grounds all flights in and out of the airport while Trump is in town because of the facility’s proximity to Mar-a-Lago, the newspaper reported.

Other business owners told the newspaper that road closures during Trump’s stays earlier in the year had caused headaches, but residents have since adapted.

Mar-a-Lago itself has seen a loss of business due to ownership. Nearly 20 charities pulled events from the estate in the aftermath of Trump’s comments defending white nationalists at a deadly August rally in Charlottesville, Va.

A pro-Trump rally is scheduled for Saturday, while a “We’re Still Here – March Against Trump” event on Nov. 11 attracted about 100 people.

Simultaneously, a prominent Russian oligarch with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin recently docked his yacht in a port in Palm Beach, the Palm Beach Post reported. There have not been any reports that the two will meet while Trump is in Florida.