President Donald Trump is expected to spend 16 days at Mar-a-Lago over the Christmas and New Year's holidays, according to an alert issued by the Federal Aviation Administration this morning.

The alert warns pilots to avoid the airspace over Mar-a-Lago during the more than two-week time frame, from Dec. 21 to Jan. 6, but does not indicate when Air Force One will arrive or depart Palm Beach International Airport.

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The upcoming visit would be longer than last year's 12-day visit, putting Trump in Palm Beach a day earlier than his Dec. 22 arrival last year and four days later than his Jan. 2 departure. It would be his longest retreat at Mar-a-Lago, dubbed the Southern White House, since the president's inauguration in January 2017.

Trump's extended stay means he will not be in Washington when the new Congress, including the Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, is sworn in on Jan. 3. That event will mark the end of the GOP's eight-year grip on the House, although Republicans slightly increased their Senate majority in the 2018 midterm elections.

It also means more prolonged street closures in the Town of Palm Beach, and sporadic traffic tie-ups, as well as more security expenses for local law enforcement agencies that assist the Secret Service in protecting the president and first family.

"We are certainly grateful to the president of the United States that he enjoys his Palm Beach White House," said Palm Beach mayor Gail Coniglio. "The police department and town managers will take the appropriate steps to continue protection for the safety and security of the president and the public."

The president’s planned arrival date — Dec. 21 — is the final day for the White House and Congress to avoid a government shutdown. Trump has vowed to shut down the government if Democratic congressional leaders do not give him the money he wants to build a wall along the southern border.



The president’s holiday could also be interrupted by his search for a new chief of staff, a pivotal West Wing post soon to be vacant following the announced resignation of John Kelly. The presumptive heir apparent, Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff Nick Ayers, rejected Trump’s offer, which reportedly left the president befuddled and angry and without a back-up in the wings.

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Although the president’s schedule is not yet known, he will likely continue two family traditions: Christmas Eve service at Bethesda-by-the-Sea church and his annual New Years Eve party at Mar-a-Lago.



The red-carpet affair is not open to the public. However, club members and guests will pay more this year to get in.



Ticket prices for dues-paying club members are $650, up from $600 last year and $525 the year before, according to Palm Beach sources. Club guests will pay a hefty $1,000 to ring in the New Year with the president, up from $750 last year and $575 the year before, according to sources.



Party-goers at last year’s event included Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Fox News host Lou Dobbs, the parents of first lady Melania Trump and former billionaire casino owner Steve Wynn, who stepped down as finance chairman of the Republican National Committee amid allegations of sexual misconduct several weeks after the Mar-a-Lago party.



The Jan. 6 departure date means the president could also attend the Palm Beach Police Foundation's Policeman's ball on Jan. 5. The foundation is one of the few charities that remained loyal to Mar-a-Lago after more than two dozens groups canceled their events in the wake of the the president’s comments about a deadly, white supremecist protest in Charlottesville, Va.



As Trump did last year, the president will likely tweet before heading off to golf. During his 2017 holiday visit, Trump visited his golf club eight times, playing with an impressive roster of pros including Daniel Berger, Jim Herman and Justin Thomas, PGA Tour member Bryson DeChambeau and former professional golfer Dana Quigley.

cstapleton@pbpost.com

@StapletonPBPost