President Donald Trump will be traveling to South Florida Friday to meet with officials at U.S. Southern Command in Doral.
Trump will attend a high dollar fundraiser in Hillsboro Beach. The President arrives in South Florida on Friday afternoon.
White House officials said Trump will be reviewing the advance of a counternarcotics operation in the Caribbean during the visit.
Trump comes to the state in a hectic time.
His visit comes as the state and particularly Miami-Dade continue to see a rise in coronavirus cases after it’s rebounded in the area. More than 1,000 people have died in Miami-Dade, and more than 400 have died in Broward.
Then, there’s the recent flap over Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro. Trump recently said he’s open to meeting Maduro, adding later only to discuss his exit. Maduro and some of his associated were indicted by the Department of Justice for drug trafficking out of Venezuela.
“This trip gives him the opportunity to highlight some of the administration’s work on Venezuela. And to sure up some support on Venezuela after the President sent some mixed signals recently,” said Carlos Curbelo, NBC 6's political analyst.
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Curbelo says both Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden need to energize their base ahead of the next election. To do that, they need money. That’s what brings President Trump to Hillsboro Beach, the small town that voted for him by nearly 58% in 2016.
The Washington Post reports a table at the fundraiser could cost couples up to $580,000.
“Florida is unique in the sense that it’s a swing state ... and it’s also an ATM state for politicians who need money for their campaigns," Curbelo said.
The Florida Democratic party called the event at Southern Command a “photo op,” writing if Trump really wanted to help Venezuelans, he should halt deportation and detention of people trying to flee Maduro.
