President Trump escaped the political mayhem, threats of legal action and Sunday morning talk show speculation about the validity of his national emergency declaration by swinging a golf club and tweeting on Sunday.

During five hours at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Trump bumped into fellow Palm Beacher Rush Limbaugh and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, although he did not golf with either. DeSantis, who was in West Palm Beach Sunday night for the annual Governor’s Baseball Dinner, did not volunteer specifics on what they discussed but said, “Stay tuned.”

PHOTOS: Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Through the Years, Inside and Out

Trump managed to fire off four tweets before leaving Mar-a-Lago for his golf club at 9 a.m. Among those, one suggesting Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell not allow senators to “go home” until they had confirmed his ambassador nominees. Trump has tapped four members of Mar-a-Lago and another Palm Beach supporter to ambassador positions.

Although it is not known if Trump bumped into any of his nominees at Mar-a-Lago this weekend, he has not recently raised his frustration with the plodding pace of the confirmations until Sunday morning’s tweet.

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“Democrats in the Senate are still slow walking hundreds of highly qualified people wanting to come into the government. Never been such an abuse in our county’s history. Mitch should not let Senate go home until all are approved. We need our Ambassadors and all others NOW!”

Club members who have been tapped for ambassadorships include: Couture handbag designer Lana Marks as ambassador to South Africa; Robin Bernstein, a founding member of Mar-a-Lago and staunch supporter and defender of the president, as ambassador to the Dominican Republic; Philanthropist Patrick Park, a devotee of the Sound of Music who claimed to have hosted over 100 fundraisers at Mar-a-Lago, declined an ambassadorship to Austria citing family responsibilities; and Brian Burns, a major Trump donor, also declined a post as ambassador to Ireland for health reasons. Burns is also founding chairman of the Palm Beach Policeman’s Ball, that has loyally held its event at Mar-a-Lago for years.

Trump has also nominated part-time Palm Beacher John Rakolta and ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. Rakolta, the former finance chair for Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential campaign, hosted a fundraiser for the Humane Society of the United States last week attended by Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump, an avid dog lover.

The president also indicated in a tweet on Sunday morning that he would continue discussions on trade with China with Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, U.S. Trade Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, Secretary of Commerce and Palm Beach neighbor Wilbur Ross and Peter Navarro, assistant to the president and director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy.

The Trump administration faces a March 1 deadline on deciding whether to raise tariffs on goods made in China. The potential trade war that could ensure from raising the tariffs has unsettled global markets and economies. And even fueled speculation of a second summit between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago.

Trump returned to Mar-a-Lago for several hours Sunday afternoon before heading back to his golf club for dinner.

Trump is expected to travel to Miami on Monday and speak at Florida International University about political upheaval in Venezuela.

cstapleton@pbpost.com

@StapletonPBPost

Below are posts from the Palm Beach Post's coverage of President Trump throughout the day on Sunday.

5:50 p.m.

President Trump has fired off another social media salvo, but in this one he is quoting conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh.

The tweet reads: "'These guys, the investigators, ought to be in jail. What they have done, working with the Obama intelligence agencies, is simply unprecedented. This is one of the greatest political hoaxes ever perpetrated on the people of this Country, and Mueller is a coverup. Rush Limbaugh"

PHOTOS: Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Through the Years, Inside and Out

According to an unconfirmed report, Limbaugh was at Trump International Golf Club this afternoon. That's the same Trump family golf club where the president spent much of Sunday. Earlier today, on the Fox News network, Limbaugh praised Trump's national emergency declaration.

"This is an invasion," Limbaugh said during an appearance on Fox News Sunday, adding that it threatens "the very existence and definition of American culture, American society, the rule of law."

Limbaugh's support is in contrast to another conservative icon, Ann Coulter. Coulter has been harshly critical of the president signing the spending deal last week, going as far as to call Trump an "idiot" in a radio interview last week.

2:31 p.m.

President Trump has just returned to Mar-a-Lago after five hours at Trump International Golf Club. No official word on his golf partners today but unofficial reports say Rush Limbaugh and White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney were also at the club.



Here's the view from the press pool van traveling right behind the president's SUV on the ride back to Mar-a-Lago.

National Emergency Day 2: ⁦@realDonaldTrump⁩ just returned to#MarALago after 5 hours at his golf club.#MAGA fans along motorcade route.#trumpinpalmbeach ⁦@realDonaldTrump⁩pic.twitter.com/pemMR4EXry

— Christine Stapleton (@StapletonPBPost)February 17, 2019

12:03 p.m.

CBS News White House producer Fin Gomez is reporting that Palm Beacher Rush Limbaugh and White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney are golfing at Trump International Golf Club.

Scooplet: Radio host Rush Limbaugh will be playing golf today at Trump International Golf Club w/ WH Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney according to two sources familiar. At this point, he is not scheduled to play w/@realDonaldTrump . Limbaugh lives & hosts his show in Palm Beach.

— Fin Gomez (@finnygo)February 17, 2019

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10:15 a.m.

In apparent solidarity with a supporter whose video was censured by Twitter on Saturday, the president has pinned to the top of his Twitter account a remix of the video with new music that has since been cleared by Twitter.



On Friday afternoon, Trump pinned to the top of his Twitter account the satirical 2-minute, video clip that mocked his opponents’ reaction to his State of the Union speech, according to a report by CNBC.



The video, set to the 90’s classic hit “Everybody Hurts” by the band R.E.M., cut lines from Trump's speech together with reaction shots of stern-looking politicians whom Trump has criticized in the past, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah.



As Trump settled in at Mar-a-Lago Friday night, an attorney for R.E.M. was asking Twitter to remove the video. By early Saturday morning, Twitter users could not play the video Trump had pinned to the top of his Twitter page, and many saw a message that read, "This video has been removed in response to a report from the copyright holder."

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But the creator of the clip, @Carpedonktum, remixed the video, replacing R.E.M. with the Trump favorite, God Bless the U.S.A by Lee Greenwood, who performed at the president’s inauguration. Greenwood is scheduled to be at Mar-a-Lago next Saturday night at a Trumpettes USA gala honoring actor Jon Voight. The Trumpettes are a Trump fan club.





pic.twitter.com/nJORBjwint

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)February 16, 2019As of 10 a.m., the video had received 3.2 million views.



PHOTOS: Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Through the Years, Inside and Out

9:14 a.m.

The president has arrived at Trump International Golf Club in suburban West Palm Beach after firing off a flurry of tweets about some of his favorite topics: The "Wall," the "rigged and corrupt media," Saturday Night Live, his approval rating and the China "trade deal."

Nothing funny about tired Saturday Night Live on Fake News NBC! Question is, how do the Networks get away with these total Republican hit jobs without retribution? Likewise for many other shows? Very unfair and should be looked into. This is the real Collusion!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)February 17, 2019

Full Donald Trump coverage: Galleries, news, video

8:42 a.m.

As the White House traveling press pool waits patiently in vans in the Mar-a-Lago parking lot, the president tweets this 'dis'.

THE RIGGED AND CORRUPT MEDIA IS THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)February 17, 2019

Full Donald Trump coverage: Galleries, news, video

8:30 a.m.

Good morning. It's a sunny 67-degrees here at Mar-a-Lago with no rain in sight and a high of 80 degrees expected. The president's officials plans for today are not yet known but in tweet at 7 a.m. he indicated he would be meeting with his staff and making calls about the "China Trade Deal."

Important meetings and calls on China Trade Deal, and more, today with my staff. Big progress being made on soooo many different fronts! Our Country has such fantastic potential for future growth and greatness on an even higher level!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)February 17, 2019

It would be the second straight day of China trade talks involving the president and his team in Palm Beach. On Saturday, shortly after arriving back at the Southern White House from a day at his West Palm Beach club, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump planned to discuss trade with China in a meeting with Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, U.S. Trade Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, Secretary of Commerce and Palm Beach neighbor Wilbur Ross and Peter Navarro, assistant to the president and director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy.

The Trump administration faces a March 1 deadline on deciding whether to raise tariffs on goods made in China. The potential trade war that could ensure from raising the tariffs has unsettled global markets and economies. And even fueled speculation of a second summit between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago.

Report: Another Trump-Xi summit at Mar-a-Lago mulled

The president followed up with a tweet at 7:24 a.m., urging the Senate to confirm his ambassador appointments. The president has nominated four members of Mar-a-Lago and another Palm Beach supporter to ambassador positions and it is not known if he may have bumped into any of them at his club this weekend.

Democrats in the Senate are still slow walking hundreds of highly qualified people wanting to come into government. Never been such an abuse in our country’s history. Mitch should not let Senate go home until all are approved. We need our Ambassadors and all others NOW!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)February 17, 2019

Club members who have been tapped for ambassadorships include: Couture handbag designer Lana Marks as ambassador to South Africa; Robin Bernstein, a founding member of Mar-a-Lago and staunch supporter and defender of the president, as ambassador to the Dominican Republic; Philanthropist Patrick Park, a devotee of the Sound of Music who once claimed that most of the 200 fundraisers he hosted were at Mar-a-Lago, declined an ambassadorship to Austria citing family responsibilities; and Brian Burns, a major Trump donor, who declined a post as ambassador to Ireland for health reasons. Burns is also founding chairman of the Palm Beach Policeman’s Ball, that has loyally held its event at Mar-a-Lago for years.

Trump has also nominated part-time Palm Beacher John Rakolta and ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. Rakolta, the former finance chair for Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential campaign, hosted a fundraiser for the Humane Society of the United States last week attended by Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump, an avid dog lover.

The nomination of the club members has raised questions about whether Trump is doling out favors to those who can afford Mar-a-Lago’s $200,000 membership fee, annual dues of $14,000 and a $2,000 minimum dining requirement.

In Trump's third tweet this morning he cited numbers from an unnamed poll that he claims shows a 52 percent approval rating, 93 percent among the Republican Party: "Pretty amazing considering that 93% (also) of my press is REALLY BAD. The PEOPLE are smart!"

52% Approval Rating, 93% in Republican Party ( a record )! Pretty amazing considering that 93% (also) of my press is REALLY BAD. The “people” are SMART!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)February 17, 2019











