As hundreds of thousands of people around the US demonstrated against gun violence during the March for Our Lives, President Trump spent the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and at his nearby golf course.
So protesters in West Palm Beach went to him, getting as close as they could to the so-called Winter White House.
About 2,000 protesters, some donning wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses in the warm Florida weather and carrying protest signs, marched toward the resort and chanted, "How many more? Not one more!" and "Save children, not guns!"
Julia, a 22-year-old student majoring in elementary school education, said she wanted “stricter gun laws” and to make sure the U.S. could create an environment that was safe for all kids.
“I’ve been waiting for something like this to happen — and the fact that it’s coming from young people is inspirational,” she told BuzzFeed News.
Masha Blummer and Carol Kaplan of Baywinds, West Palm Beach, said they were at the Florida rally "for the good of our children and the good of our grandchildren."
"We're here fighting for all children across the states, across the nation. We hope we’ll do some good," Blummer told BuzzFeed News.
At one point the demonstrators encountered some counter-protesters — and a truck with a Trump sign drove by, drawing boos and jeers.
The president went to the Trump International golf club a little after 9 a.m., and his motorcade arrived back at Mar-a-Lago by around 2:30 p.m., according to the White House press pool. Trump plans to stay at the Florida resort for the rest of the weekend.
But his motorcade appeared to have taken a detour to Mar-a-Lago, rather than the usual direct route it usually takes to the president's Florida resort. The route avoided a gathering of more than 1,000 demonstrators that had gathered along the usual route taken by the motorcade, the Palm Beach Post reported.
The demonstrators waited for the president at Dreher Park, just two miles from Mar-a-Lago, to no avail.
The White House did not respond to questions about the motorcade detour, but resident Robert Schrotemboer told BuzzFeed News it seemed like Trump and some legislators were at least open to "having some dialogue" about stricter gun laws.
“I think these marches are having an impact, and I think people who had the line drawn in the sand about what they would vote for and against are moving the line a little bit,” he said. Schrotemboer was at the rally with his wife, Alice, and his 17-year-old daughter Claire, who said she registered to vote earlier that day.
As of Saturday evening, Trump had not tweeted any acknowledgment of the March for Our Lives demonstrations taking place around the country, though White House spokesperson Lindsay Walters issued a statement on the marches.
"We applaud the many courageous young Americans exercising their First Amendment rights today," Walters said.
It is reportedly Trump's 135th day at a Trump property as president.
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