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Trump is scheduled to leave Palm Beach before his annual New Years Eve party, though guests had already gathered at his South Florida club and were told that Trump would be in attendance, according to three people familiar with the matter. The president generally enjoys appearing on the red carpet in front of the press and his friends, but this year he will skip the event entirely in what will be an unusual move.
In the president’s daily public schedule for Thursday, the White House declared that the president and first lady Melania Trump will leave Florida at 11 a.m. ET to return to the White House.
He has been in a bad mood for most of the trip and enraged by everything from the election result to first lady Melania Trump’s renovations in her private rooms, according to several people who spoke with him.
At one point, Trump also said he was concerned that Iran could retaliate in the coming days for the US drone strike that killed Iran’s top general, Qasem Soleimani, a year ago. One person speculated that it could be a contributing factor to his early departure. Trump was in Mar-a-Lago when he ordered the Soleimani strike on January 3, 2020.
Before leaving for Palm Beach, he learned of Vice President Mike Pence’s role in the certification procedures on Capitol Hill, which are primarily ceremonial. While flying to Florida for his vacation, Trump retweeted a call from one of his supporters for Pence to refuse to ratify the Electoral College count on January 6.
While in Florida, Trump has repeatedly raised the January 6 date with members of Congress and other associates, according to people familiar with the talks. He lobbied senators on whether they would agree with conservatives in the House of Representatives to object to the results.
Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, became the first senator to say Wednesday that he would object, which will delay, but will not change, the results of the Election College recount.
Trump has also tweeted to his supporters that he will see them in Washington on that date, a reference to the large protests that are planned in the capital.
In Florida, Trump has been surrounded by people who mostly back his futile election efforts, including his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and his son Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle. Even as he publicly fights for results, one question he’s repeatedly polled people about is whether he should attend Biden’s inauguration.
Trump has recently told people that Pence is not doing enough to fight for him when his presidency ends, and has recently become interested in Pence’s traditional role during certification. As president of the Senate, Pence presides over proceedings.
Sources say Trump, before his vacation, raised the matter with the vice president and has been “confused” as to why Pence cannot override the results of the Jan.6 election. Pence and White House advisers have tried to explain. that his role is more of a formality and he cannot unilaterally reject the votes of the Electoral College.
Pence had once planned to travel abroad shortly after certification on January 6. But plans for a trip to the Middle East and Europe have now been put on hold, people familiar with the matter said.
Pence spent the Christmas holidays on vacation in Vail, Colorado.
