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Shootings postpone Trump’s Florida event at The Villages

The trip is expected to be rescheduled.
 
President Donald Trump on Monday in the White House. [AP}
President Donald Trump on Monday in the White House. [AP}
Published Aug. 5, 2019

President Donald Trump won’t be holding a Tuesday event at The Villages on Tuesday because of the El Paso and Dayton shootings over the weekend.

“In light of this weekend’s tragedies, the President has postponed tomorrow’s visit to the Villages,” a White House official said in an email to reporters.

The trip is expected to be rescheduled.

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Over the weekend, Trump tried to assure Americans he was dealing with the crisis and defended his administration in light of criticism following the latest in a string of mass shootings.

“We have done much more than most administrations,” he said, without elaboration. “We have done actually a lot. But perhaps more has to be done.”

Trump’s visit Tuesday was to be held at the Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center, a venue that holds about 1,000 people. It was described to be a Medicare-focused event. Although the event was described as official White House business, it was set for The Villages, a sprawling collection of retirement communities north of Orlando is pro-Trump turf. In 2016, he won 69 percent of the vote in Sumter County, where much of The Villages resides.

If Trump is to win Florida next year, and he needs to to win reelection, then he’ll need the reliably high turnout of The Villages to do it.

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