Trump spends first weekend as ex-president playing golf at his West Palm Beach club

Donald Trump spent his first weekend as the former president of the United States indulging in his favorite pastime, and at one point, waving at a crowd of supporters as they welcomed him back to his second home in Palm Beach, Florida.  

Trump was seen playing a couple rounds of golf on Saturday at his West Palm Beach club golf course, one of his top vacation destinations away from the White House.

The former president wore his signature red ‘Make America Great Again’ campaign cap and a white polo shirt as he golfed, before being transported to his Mar-a-Lago resort – his new permanent home. 

Upon his return, Trump was greeted by a small crowd of supporters, some of whom were carrying American flags as well as signs that read: ‘Still My President!’ and ‘Trump Won!’ 

As his motorcade drove by, Trump flashed a smile and waved cheerfully at the group of adoring fans lining the road. 

The outgoing president returned to the Sunshine State Wednesday morning as he refused to follow tradition and attend the inauguration of his successor President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. 

Trump had spent much of his time as president playing golf at his various courses across the country and around the world, but especially his West Palm Beach club. 

He was on his course in Virginia when he learned he had lost the presidential election to Joe Biden on November 7. 

And with his permanent move back to Mar-a-Lago coupled with his newfound lack of government employment he will be able to enjoy his favorite hobby even more.  

It comes as House Democrats announced they have set the date for opening arguments in the Senate impeachment trial for Trump over the Capitol riots.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the schedule Friday evening after reaching an agreement with Republicans, who had pushed for a delay to give Trump a chance to organize his legal team and prepare a defense on the sole charge of incitement of insurrection.

The trial will begin the week of February 8, the first time a former president will face such charges after leaving office.

The February start date also allows the Senate more time to confirm President Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominations and consider his proposed $1.9trillion COVID relief package – top priorities of the new White House agenda that could become stalled during trial proceedings.

‘We all want to put this awful chapter in our nation´s history behind us,’ Schumer said about the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol siege by a mob of pro-Trump supporters.

‘But healing and unity will only come if there is truth and accountability. And that is what this trial will provide.’

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will send the article of impeachment late Monday, with senators sworn in as jurors Tuesday. But opening arguments will move to February.

Trump’s impeachment trial would be the first of a U.S. president no longer in office, an undertaking that his Senate Republican allies argue is pointless, and potentially even unconstitutional. Democrats say they have to hold Trump to account, even as they pursue Biden’s legislative priorities, because of the gravity of what took place – a violent attack on the U.S. Congress aimed at overturning an election.

If Trump is convicted, the Senate could vote to bar him from holding office ever again, potentially upending his chances for a political comeback.  

The words of Trump’s supporters who are accused of participating in the deadly U.S. Capitol riot could also potentially end up being used against him in his Senate impeachment trial.

At least five supporters facing federal charges have suggested they were taking orders from the then-president when they marched on Capitol Hill on January 6 to challenge the certification of Joe Biden’s election win. 

But now those comments, captured in interviews with reporters and federal agents, are likely to take center stage as Democrats lay out their case. It’s the first time a former president will face such charges after leaving office.

‘I feel like I was basically following my president. I was following what we were called to do. He asked us to fly there. He asked us to be there,’ Jenna Ryan, a Texas real estate agent who posted a photo on Twitter of herself flashing a peace sign next to a broken Capitol window, told a Dallas-Fort Worth TV station.

Jacob Chansley, the Arizona man photographed on the dais in the Senate who was shirtless and wore face paint and a furry hat with horns, has similarly pointed a finger at Trump.

Chansley called the FBI the day after the insurrection and told agents he traveled ‘at the request of the president that all ‘patriots’ come to D.C. on January 6, 2021,’ authorities wrote in court papers.

Chanley’s lawyer unsuccessfully lobbied for a pardon for his client before Trump’s term ended, saying Chansley ‘felt like he was answering the call of our president.’ 

Authorities say that while up on the dais in the Senate chamber, Chansley wrote a threatening note to then-Vice President Mike Pence that said: ‘It´s only a matter of time, justice is coming.’

For weeks, Trump rallied his supporters against the election outcome and urged them to come to the Capitol to rage against Biden’s win. Trump spoke to the crowd near the White House shortly before they marched along Pennsylvania Avenue to Capitol Hill.

‘We will never give up. We will never concede. It doesn’t happen,’ Trump said. ‘You don’t concede when there’s theft involved. Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore.’

Later he said: ‘If you don’t fight like hell you’re not going to have a country anymore.’ He told supporters to walk to the Capitol to ‘peacefully and patriotically’ make your voices heard.

Trump has taken no responsibility for his part in fomenting the violence, saying days after the attack: ‘People thought that what I said was totally appropriate.’

Unlike a criminal trial, where there are strict rules about what is and isn´t evidence, the Senate can consider anything it wishes. And if they can show that Trump´s words made a real impact, all the better, and scholars expect it in the trial.