Justin Sayers

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Louisville airport officials were told President Donald Trump was set to jet into the city this weekend, but a White House source told the Courier-Journal on Wednesday night the trip isn't planned.

Stephanie Smith, public relations manager for the Louisville Regional Airport Authority, told the Courier-Journal that airport officials were notified Wednesday morning that the president is coming. But she said that they hadn't received details, including when he's arriving or where he's going.

Late Wednesday night, a White House official who asked not to be named, said the president's schedule currently did not include a trip to Louisville and referred to an earlier statement by White House press secretary Sean Spicer.

“I’ve seen that report. We have nothing to announce with regard to the president’s schedule at this time," Spicer said. “We will have an update on the president’s schedule later this week, but I do anticipate that the president will be very active in his support for the repeal-and-replace effort.”

The Courier-Journal reached out to the airport after the FAA posted a "VIP Movement Notification" for the city, warning of 30- and 10-nautical mile restrictions during a Saturday trip to Louisville. Those restrictions have been a reliable sign of a presidential visit in the past and were put into place last weekend in Florida prior to Trump's visit to his Mar-a-Lago resort.

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Trump's travel plans have been tough to pin down at times. In January he canceled a trip to Harley-Davidson in Milwaukee, and afterward an administration official told CNN that Harley-Davidson was uncomfortable hosting the president because of expected protests.

Louisville groups were gearing up to protest the president if he visited. Chris Rowzee, a spokeswoman for Indivisible Kentucky, a Louisville-based political organization that opposes Trump and his agenda, said the group was “going to make every attempt to ensure our voices are heard” with a rally.

Though neither Spicer nor multiple other officials interviewed by the Courier-Journal would confirm the president was planning to come to Kentucky, a Trump visit to the state had been rumored as a response to efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

On Tuesday, Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway appeared on 840 WHAS radio and criticized Sen. Rand Paul for his opposition to the proposed repeal-and-replace effort, which he says doesn't go far enough. Later that day, Trump tweeted, "I feel sure that my friend @RandPaul will come along with the new and great health care program because he knows Obamacare is a disaster."

Paul spokeswoman Kelsey Cooper said Paul would be happy to welcome Trump to Kentucky. In an interview with Fox News, Paul said he has heard the rumors of Trump's visit, and "he’s very popular in our state."

Representatives from the U.S. Secret Service in Louisville and Sen. Mitch McConnell's office also declined to comment, forwarding all requests to the White House.

Trump came to Louisville twice during the campaign — in May to receive the endorsement from the NRA during its annual convention and in March during a campaign rally, after which three people claimed they were assaulted while protesting.

Amanda Stamper, Gov. Matt Bevin’s communications director, said she didn't know anything about Trump visiting or whether Bevin would meet him if he did.

See also

►Trump: Worked hard to save Lincoln in Ky.

►At rally, Bevin effusive in praise for Trump

Courier-Journal reporters Tom Loftus, James Bruggers, Phillip M. Bailey, Deborah Yetter, Chris Kenning and Morgan Watkins, and USA TODAY reporters Eliza Collins and Gregory Korte contributed reporting. This story will be updated.

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