FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Former President Donald Trump got a send-off from cheering supporters Monday as he rode from his Mar-a-Lago resort and home in Palm Beach for the flight from Palm Beach International Airport that took him to New York to face criminal charges.
Trump left Mar-a-Lago at about 12:20 p.m. Eastern time Monday. About 15 minutes later, he walked up the back stairs to his plane at the airport. At 1 p.m. he took off. He touched down about two and a half hours later at LaGuardia Airport in Queens, the New York City borough where he spent his childhood, then deplaned and got into an SUV at 3:45 p.m.
The criminal case concerns hush money payments made during his 2016 campaign to conceal a sexual relationship — which he denies — with porn star Stormy Daniels.
The South Florida motorcade and flight were widely watched, but it wasn’t like his presidential days flying in and out of the airport on Air Force One. Trump’s red, white and blue Boeing 757, emblazoned with his name in gold, had to wait its turn to take off behind other aircraft.
On the way to the airport, his motorcade passed by a group of cheering and flag-waving supporters gathered along Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach.
Fans began assembling early Monday.
Willy Guardiola, of Palm Beach Gardens, was among 100 or so Trump supporters gathered in front of a shopping plaza between Parker Avenue and Lake Avenue that over the years has been a frequent gathering point for Trump’s supporters.
Guardiola said supporters came to protest “the most unfair indictment I’ve seen in 65 years” — something he said showed, “They’re going to come after Trump no matter what. Why do you think they’re afraid of him? Because he’s going to drain the swamp.”
“I think it’s important to stand for our country right now. I think the injustice and the attacks on President Trump are an attack on our country. President Trump is extremely connected to the heart and voice of the people of our country,” said Ashton Munholland, president of the Palm Beach Young Republicans.
Munholland said the prosecution “is turning us into a banana republic. It’s important we rise up.”
Ronald Solomon, of The MAGA Mall, was out doing some business among Trump supporters: selling Trump hats, flags, socks and other memorabilia to the crowd.
Solomon said his business suffered after Trump left office, but it’s picked up in recent weeks amid news about the pending indictment. The past few days “has made it explode,” he said. “I am getting orders for products from all across the United States from wholesale customers.”
Solomon said the prosecution has “gone too far,” adding that “people believe this is a witch hunt.”
Many held flags proclaiming, “Trump 2024 Save America,” Trump Won” and “Let’s Go Brandon.” The Brandon phrase represents an obscenity Republicans direct toward President Joe Biden.
Trump was evidently pleased with what he saw. During his flight to New York, he posted a picture of the view from his SUV of the crowd at the Southern Boulevard shopping plaza on his Truth Social social media account.
Jon Guerin, of Boynton Beach, was holding up a sign saying, “Don’t Tread on Trump,” a customized version of the Gadsden flag, which features a coiled rattlesnake and the phrase “Don’t Tread on Me.”
“‘I”m here to protest against the jailing of political opponents,” he said. “Trump is a political opponent, and they’re not jailing him for good reasons. They’re jailing him based on novel legal theories.”
Mindy Koch, chair of the Palm Beach County Democratic Party, had a different assessment.
“We have confidence in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who has a track record in prosecuting complex white-collar crime. Manhattan D.A. Bragg has described his approach as ‘very judicious with the use of prosecutorial power.’ We are certain that Bragg will follow the letter of the law no matter how many threats are made against him personally or his office writ large. We have faith in the American justice system and know that through this process our democracy will be strengthened,” Koch said in a written statement.
The pro-Trump crowd wasn’t as robust as many previous gatherings of his supporters. On Jan. 20, 2021, the day he left office and Biden was inaugurated, about 1,000 people were on either side of Southern Boulevard from Dixie Highway to the bridge across the Intracoastal Waterway to show their support and welcome him home.
An influential organization of Trump supporters, Club 47 issued a call to supporters on Sunday — even before Trump confirmed just when he’d be leaving — to be on hand on Southern Boulevard for Trump’s departure.
Club 47 is the current name of a Palm Beach County-based political organization that formed during Trump’s presidency to support him. It eventually became Club 45, for Trump’s place in the numerical order of U.S. presidents.
It became Club 47 on President’s Day this year when Trump addressed the group. The number expresses club leaders’ support for his 2024 presidential campaign, hoping that he’ll defeat Biden and become the 47th president.
The group said it was important to get pictures and video showing support for Trump. “Media coverage is expected to be from the air as well as from within the motorcade,” the organization told members who were urged to bring signs and flags.
The news media did what the Trump supporters expected. There was extensive coverage on local television stations and on cable news, including overhead helicopter video showing the progress of Trump’s motorcade.
Trumpworld took advantage of the attention. A commercial break during the CNN coverage included a pro-Trump super political action committee ad attacking Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is Trump’s main rival for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. (DeSantis hasn’t yet officially declared his candidacy.)
The MAGA Inc. ad highlights DeSantis’ votes when he served in Congress: three times to cut Social Security, twice to cut Medicare and once to raise the retirement age to 70. “The more you learn about DeSantis the more you learn he doesn’t share our values. He’s just not ready to be president,” the narrator declares.
After appearing in court on Tuesday, Trump plans to return to Mar-a-Lago in the afternoon or evening. The Trump campaign announced that Trump would “deliver remarks” during a Mar-a-Lago Club appearance Tuesday night.
