Category: Mike Pence

Donald Trump as conventional politician on Twitter?

President Donald Trump, smartphone in hand, leaving his Trump International Golf Club last month. (Allen Eyestone / The Palm Beach Post)

President Donald Trump, master of the slashing pre-dawn Twitter attack, has been relatively restrained in his tweeting since last weekend’s barrage of tweets from Mar-a-Lago asserting that he’d been wiretapped by former President Barack Obama.

 

Things could change at any moment, of course.

 

But over the last 24 hours, Trump’s @realDonaldTrump Twitter feed has looked downright conventional for a politician. Trump hasn’t tweeted from his Android phone — traditionally the source of his most unfiltered and controversial tweets — since early Wednesday morning.

 

Click here for an analysis of Trump’s first 100 tweets as president.

 

Trump since yesterday afternoon has tweeted charts showing improving consumer confidence and job growth. He tweeted a video of himself and Vice President Mike Pence greeting high school students in the East Room of the White House. And he tweeted a link to his weekly radio address.

 

 

Trump also retweeted a Fox News video clip of a young man voicing a positive attitude in his fight against cancer. The man, Kyle Coddington, attended the recent Conservative Political Action Conference and had his haircut, which is the result of chemotherapy and radiation treatments for his cancer, mocked on the TBS show “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.” The show removed the slam on Coddington and tweeted an apology after learning of his condition.

 

Trump passed along the clip of Coddington without mentioning the controversy or taking advantage of the opportunity to rip the liberal media.

 

 

 

 

Trump, Rubio meet wife of jailed Venezuelan opposition leader

President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio with Lilian Tintori in the White House on Wednesday.
President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio with Lilian Tintori in the White House on Wednesday.

President Donald Trump and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and their wives were scheduled to have dinner at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday night at the White House.

 

It’s unclear how the meal went, but Trump at 6:59 p.m. posted a picture on Twitter of himself with Rubio, Vice President Mike Pence and Lilian Tintori, the wife of jailed Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez.

 

 

“Venezuela should allow Leopoldo Lopez, a political prisoner & husband of @liliantintori (just met w/ @marcorubio) out of prison immediately,” Trump tweeted.

 

Rubio has been a vocal critic of the Venezuelan regime of Nicolas Maduro.

 

The Trump administration on Monday  accused Venezuelan Vice President Tareck El Aissami of drug trafficking and imposed sanctions against him.

 

 

 

 

Today: President Donald Trump begins first White House work week

President Donald Trump at a swearing in ceremony of White House senior staff on Sunday. (Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump at a swearing in ceremony of White House senior staff on Sunday. (Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Images)

Today is President Donald Trump‘s first full workday as the nation’s 45th commander in chief after his inauguration on Friday.

 

 

The part-time Palm Beach resident’s schedule includes meetings with business and labor leaders, the signing of executive orders, an intelligence briefing, lunch with Vice President Mike Pence and a 6 p.m. meeting with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis.

 

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July.

Also on today’s schedule is the first formal press briefing by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, who was at the center of a weekend furor when he summoned the press to the White House briefing room Saturday afternoon to accuse the media of intentionally downplaying the size of Friday’s inauguration crowds.

 

Spicer cited Metro ridership numbers and made claims about ground coverings and metal detectors on the Mall that were shown to be inaccurate.

 

Here’s Trump’s schedule as released by the White House Sunday night:

 

9:00AM               THE PRESIDENT hosts breakfast and listening session with key business leaders

 

Roosevelt Room

 

10:30AM              THE PRESIDENT signs Executive Orders

 

Oval Office

 

11:00AM              THE PRESIDENT participates in the President’s Daily Briefing

 

Oval Office

 

12:00PM              THE PRESIDENT has lunch with the Vice President

 

Presidential Dining Room

 

3:00PM                THE PRESIDENT holds a listening session with Union Leaders and American Workers

 

Roosevelt Room

 

5:00PM                THE PRESIDENT hosts Bicameral Leadership Reception

 

Yellow Oval Room

 

6:00PM                THE PRESIDENT meets with House Speaker Paul Ryan

 

Donald Trump ‘a very good golfer, very serious’ says pol who played with him

President-elect Donald Trump playing golf in 2011 at his Trump International Golf Club. (Allen Eyestone/The Palm Beach Post)
President-elect Donald Trump playing golf in 2011 at his Trump International Golf Club. (Allen Eyestone/The Palm Beach Post)

President-elect Donald Trump, who is golfing today with Tiger Woods at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, is one of the best politician-golfers in Washington, according to a recent Golf Digest ranking.

 

Tiger Woods, who recently posted this shirtless Santa picture on his Twitter account, is on the links with Trump today.
Tiger Woods, who recently posted this shirtless Santa picture on his Twitter account, is on the links with Trump today.

Trump, Woods and other not-yet-revealed players were on the 10th hole at around 11 a.m., according to a pool report.

 

Trump and his reported 2.8 handicap ranked 12th in the Golf Digest compilation — 101 places ahead of President Barack Obama, who has a 13 handicap. Vice President Joe Biden ranks 68th with a 10 handicap while Vice President-elect Mike Pence ranks 127th with a handicap of 15.

 

Former President Bill Clinton is a 16-handicap golfer who is ranked 129th in the Golf Digest politician list.

 

Former Republican state Rep. and two-time U.S. congressional candidate Carl Domino, a member of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club, said he golfed with Trump, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and a fourth player at Trump International about three years ago.

 

Rand Paul finished well behind Trump on the golf course three years ago and in the GOP presidential race this year.
Rand Paul finished well behind Trump on the golf course three years ago and in the GOP presidential race this year.

They talked about a potential Trump 2014 run for governor of New York, recalled Domino.

 

In a foreshadowing of the 2016 presidential race, Domino said Trump finished well ahead of Paul (who dropped his White House bid after the Iowa caucuses) and the others in the group.

 

“No exaggeration, he shot even par on the round,” said Domino, who said Trump would have finished two or three strokes under par if he hadn’t come up short on a few putts. “He was much better than the rest of us…He’s a very good golfer, very serious about it.”

 

Crunch time in Florida: Hillary, Trump, Pence, Biden, Obama expected this week

Of course the Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump campaigns are paying attention to crucial Florida this week.
Of course the Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump campaigns are paying attention to crucial Florida this week.

Eight days of campaigning remain before the Nov. 8 election and Florida, which appears to be up for grabs in recent polls, can expect some heavy candidate and surrogate traffic

 

Schedules are fluid and events often get added with little notice, but here’s a look at what’s currently scheduled or expected:

 

• Today: Mike Pence, the GOP vice presidential nominee, visits Cocoa at noon, then Maitland at 3:30  p.m. and Clearwater at 6 p.m.

 

• Tuesday: Hillary Clinton visits the Tampa area and the Orlando area, with specific times and locations not yet announced, then stops in Fort Lauderdale for an 8:45 p.m. rally at Reverend Samuel Delevoe Memorial Park.

 

• Wednesday: Donald Trump has a breakfast fundraiser at his Trump National Doral Miami club, the Miami Herald reported. No public events have been announced for the GOP nominee, but don’t be surprised if one or more are added soon in a must-win state for Trump.

 

• Also Wednesday: Vice President Joe Biden will campaign for Clinton in the Tampa area and in Palm Beach County, with specific sites and times not yet announced.

 

• Thursday: President Barack Obama will campaign for Clinton at a not-yet-announced site in South Florida, and at a rally in Jacksonville.

Mike Pence makes three Florida stops Monday for Donald Trump

Who'd have guessed when Govs. Chris Christie, Mike Pence and Rick Scott attended a Republican Governors Association conference in Boca Raton in 2014 that all three would become key figures in Donald Trump's presidential bid? (Damon Higgins / The Palm Beach Post)
Who’d have guessed when Govs. Chris Christie, Mike Pence and Rick Scott attended a Republican Governors Association conference in Boca Raton in 2014 that all three would become key figures in Donald Trump’s presidential bid? (Damon Higgins / The Palm Beach Post)

Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence will make three stops in Florida on Monday, according to the Donald Trump campaign.

 

Indiana Gov. Pence starts on the Space Coast with a noon event in Cocoa, then attends an afternoon rally near Orlando in Maitland before winding up with a 6 p.m. airport rally in Clearwater.

 

Trump is expected back in Florida this week, but no events have been announced.

Write-in Pence? Vote won’t count, election officials say

Voters would be wasting ballot with write-in for Pence, officials say.
Voters would be wasting ballot with write-in for Pence, officials say.

Republican voters and elected officials saying they’ll write-in vice presidential nominee Mike Pence as a protest vote against Donald Trump might think again.

It won’t count.

“You have to be an eligible write-in candidate, and he’s not,” said Palm Beach County Elections Supervisor Susan Bucher.

There are a half-dozen people who qualified in Florida as write-in contenders for president. They are: Andrew Basiago, Richard Duncan, Cherunda Fox, Zoltan Istvan Gyurko, Laurence Kotlikoff and Anthony Joseph Valdivia.

Writing in any other name?

“You’re vote won’t be counted,” Bucher said.

In the wake of Trump’s vulgar comments about women, captured on 2011 video that swiftly went viral, a host of high-profile Republicans are fleeing the campaign.

Sen. Kelly Ayotte, a New Hampshire Republican, and Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican, were among those saying they’d write in Pence’s name.

 

Mike Pence follows Donald Trump visit with Saturday rally in The Villages

Donald Trump and Mike Pence will campaign in Florida within 24 hours of each other.
Donald Trump and Mike Pence will campaign in Florida within 24 hours of each other.

A day after Donald Trump campaigns in Miami, running mate Mike Pence will campaign Saturday in The Villages, the Republican retiree stronghold in Central Florida.

 

Indiana Gov. Pence is scheduled to attend a 3 p.m. rally at the Savannah Center in The Villages, according to the Trump campaign website.

 

The Villages are a popular spot for Republican candidates and have been particularly hospitable to GOP vice presidential nominees. Paul Ryan drew about 10,000 people to an outdoor rally there as Mitt Romney‘s running mate in 2012 and Sarah Palin attracted a crowd estimated at 60,000 in 2008 as John McCain‘s running mate.

 

The Trump and Pence visits come amid encouraging news for the GOP ticket in crucial Florida, a state Barack Obama narrowly won in 2008 and 2012. After an initial post-Democratic convention bounce for Hillary Clinton, Trump has gained in recent polls in the Sunshine State. A CNN poll released Wednesday gave Trump a within-the-margin-of-error lead over Clinton.

 

 

 

 

Donald Trump running mate Mike Pence to campaign in Florida this week

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and his family onstage at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland last month.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and his family onstage at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland last month.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence will campaign in Sarasota on Wednesday afternoon.

 

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence at a 2014 Republican Governors Association meeting at the Boca Raton Resort and Club.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence at a 2014 Republican Governors Association meeting at the Boca Raton Resort and Club.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump‘s running mate is scheduled to appear at a 4 p.m. rally at the Hyatt Regency in Sarasota a few days after Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton‘s running mate Tim Kaine campaigned in Tallahassee and South Florida.

 

Pence is making three appearances this week in Georgia — a state that hasn’t been carried by a Democrat since 1992, but where polls show a tight race between Trump Clinton.

 

Pence will also appear Tuesday in North Carolina, a state went for Democrat Barack Obama in 2008 and Republican Mitt Romney in 2012 by narrow margins.

Ted Cruz snub of Donald Trump ripped as ‘shameful,’ ‘disgraceful’ by Florida delegates

Mike Pence takes the stage in Cleveland. His coming-out speech as Donald Trump's running mate was overshadowed by Ted Cruz's non-endorsement of Trump.
Mike Pence takes the stage in Cleveland. His coming-out speech as Donald Trump’s running mate was overshadowed by Ted Cruz’s non-endorsement of Trump.

CLEVELAND — Florida Republican National Convention delegates blasted Ted Cruz after Cruz didn’t endorse Donald Trump in a prime time speech tonight.

The crowd at Quicken Loans Arena began shouting at Cruz and booing as he neared the end of his remarks and it became clear he wasn’t going to endorse Trump. The Cruz snub overshadowed a coming-out speech by Trump running mate Mike Pence and highlighted ongoing GOP divisions at a time when political parties traditionally unify behind their nominee.

“I was amazed that he came to speak here and didn’t endorse the candidate who invited him. I thought it was very bad form, and you saw the reaction from the delegates. He didn’t do himself any favors,” said former U.S. Sen. George Lemieux.

“Shameful. He should have come out and endorsed Donald Trump tonight,” said Palm Beach County Republican Chairman Michael Barnett. “Ted Cruz squandered a great opportunity. I’m feeling kind of disgusted right now. It ruined a really good moment — an opportunity for the Ted Cruz people and the Donald Trump people to come together. I was hoping for unity. Ted Cruz made another self-serving move. He’s focused on 2020. he doesn’t care about 2016 or winning this election.”

Trump’s Florida campaign co-chairman, Joe Gruters, said Cruz damaged himself and helped Hillary Clinton.

“Everybody that’s watching out there is probably greatly disappointed…It’s going to cost him later on. Anybody who decides to not join the team and support Donald Trump 100 percent is helping Hillary Clinton and that goes for all the other past candidates as well,” Gruters said.

“I think Cruz has killed his political career,” said St. Lucie County GOP Chairman Bill Paterson. “I don’t believe he’ll ever be able to run for the White House and he’s disgraced himself and he is no longer welcome in St. Lucie County as long as I’m the chairman of the party.”

“Disappointed. Disappointed,” said Palm Beach County Republican Vice Chairwoman Tami Donnally.

St. Lucie County Republican State Committeewoman Mary Ann Russell said she thought right up until the end  of Cruz’s remarks that he would endorse Trump.

“I was furious. Furious,” said Russell. “I know he’s upset, I  know he lost, I know his feelings were hurt but it’s time to put your big-boy panties on and he should have endorsed Trump. He knows he’s got a bunch of people here who are still fighting this ‘Never Trump’ movement and all he’s doing is giving Hillary ammunition and I thought it was disgraceful.”