Trump must now leave Palm Beach before his annual New Year’s Eve party, although guests have already met at his club in South Florida and have been told that Trump would be attending, according to three people familiar with the matter. The president usually likes to appear on the red carpet in front of the press and his friends, but he is skipping the event this year, which will be an unusual move.
He was irritated for most of the trip and smoked with everything from the election results to the reforms of First Lady Melania Trump and her private rooms, according to several people who spoke to him.
At one point, Trump also said he feared Iran could retaliate in the coming days for the U.S. drone attack that killed Iran’s top general, Qasem Soleimani, a year ago. One person speculated that this could be a contributing factor to his early departure. Trump was in Mar-a-Lago when he ordered Soleimani’s strike on January 3, 2020.
Before leaving for Palm Beach, he learned of Vice President Mike Pence’s role in Capitol certification procedures, which are mostly ceremonial. While on vacation to Florida, Trump retweeted a call from one of his Pence supporters to refuse to ratify the Electoral College count on January 6.
While in Florida, Trump repeatedly raised the January 6 date with members of Congress and other associates, according to people familiar with the talks. He pressured senators about whether they would agree with House conservatives to object to the results.
Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, became the first senator to say on Wednesday that he would object, which would delay – but not change – the results of the Electoral College count.
Trump also tweeted to his supporters that he will see them in Washington on that date, a reference to the major protests that are planned in the capital.
In Florida, Trump was surrounded by people who mainly support his futile electoral efforts, including his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and his son Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle. Even as he publicly fights for results, one question he repeatedly questions people is whether he should attend Biden’s inauguration.
Trump told people recently that Pence is not doing enough to fight for him when his presidency ends, and recently became interested in Pence’s traditional role during certification. As president of the Senate, Pence chairs the proceedings.
Sources say Trump, before his vacation, brought the matter up to the vice president and was “confused” about why Pence cannot overturn the results of the January 6 election. Pence and White House advisers tried to explain to him that his role is more of a formality and he cannot unilaterally reject the votes of the Electoral College.
Pence once planned to leave for a trip abroad shortly after the January 6 certification. But plans for a trip to the Middle East and Europe have been suspended, people familiar with the matter said.
Pence spent the Christmas holidays in Vail, Colorado.