President Donald Trump's weekend in Palm Beach was largely focused on midterm election races, but those pretty far from the contests in his adopted home county.
In a series of posts on his social-media site, Trump
reiterated his support for South Carolina U.S. Sen. Darlene Graham, the sister of the late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, whose campaign to win her brother's seat has been dogged by misstatements.Graham has also publicly disagreed with the president's Russia policy by backing sanctions against Vladimir Putin's government just as Trump this month has tilted U.S. policy to favor Moscow in its brutal invasion of Ukraine.
Asked about the decision on the Russia sanctions while at Mar-a-Lago, the president deflected.
“A lot of you don't know what
my decision is yet, but we'll figure it out, and you'll figure it out,” Trump said. “It's a very good decision, and it's going to be a decision that's good for the country, and I think good for the world because we're really at a world stage.”
Then, before departing Mar-a-Lago on Oct. 18, Trump added via a social media post that he is “in the process of negotiating Peace in the war” between Russia and Ukraine.
In the lengthy post, Trump made clear he is favoring Moscow citing lowering record-high diesel fuel costs as an objective and a desire to keep Russia from providing Iran with greater assistance in the ongoing war the president launched eight months ago.
Trump also reiterated endorsements of controversial U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton in Texas, plus ally Mike Rogers' bid for the U.S. Senate in Michigan.
Two other social-media missives rifled off by the president touted congressional candidates Russell Fry in South Carolina and Zach Nunn in Iowa in a pair of posts.
In a lengthy post, Trump also let it be known that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "has my Complete and Total Endorsement." Israel is scheduled to hold a national election on Oct. 27.
Trump takes break from Palm Beach sojourn for rally in Kentucky
On Oct. 17, while "No Kings" protests were amping up across the Palm Beaches, Trump departed aboard Air Force One for a rally at Northern Kentucky University.
There, Trump lauded U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, who is widely expected to win the U.S. Senate seat now occupied by the retiring, and largely out of sight, Mitch McConnell.
Trump did not comment on the nationwide protests, which drew hundreds at five demonstrations in the Palm Beaches. After a previous "No Kings" protest weekend, Trump posted a computer-generated video showing him dropping bombs of excrement on protesters from a U.S. military jet.
The president also remained publicly silent on key races in Florida even as in-person early voting was set to begin in Palm Beach County on Monday, Oct. 19.
Two hotly-contested U.S. House races are for seats in districts that include parts of Palm Beach County. One, District 22, is seen as a up-for-grabs contest between Republican Casey Askar and Democrat Pia Dandiya.
Another seat, District 25, pitting U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat, and former Boca Raton mayor Scott Singer, Republican, was reclassified from "toss-up" to "lean Democrat" by the widely watched Cook Political Report on Oct. 16.
On Oct. 17, progressive standard-bearer Bernie Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, was in Tampa campaigning for Democratic candidate Angie Nixon. She is seeking the Florida U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Ashley Moody, who Trump has supported.
Trump's weekend's visit to Palm Beach also included a Republican National Committee event at Mar-a-Lago on Friday, Oct. 16 and a MAGA Inc. dinner at the president's club the following day. At that event, Google co-founder Sergey Brin was seen seated next to Trump.
A golf outing at his Trump International club followed on Sunday.
The stay, Trump's 28th trip to Palm Beach County this term, concluded Sunday, Oct. 18.
Trump is scheduled to return to Florida this week for a rally in Fort Myers.
Antonio Fins is a politics and business editor at The Palm Beach Post,part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at afins@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Trump backs Paxton, Netanyahu, quiet on local races on Palm Beach trip
