Trump may bypass Palm Beach to pitch health care bill in Kentucky

March 08--President Donald Trump could bypass his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach this weekend to visit Kentucky to pitch a Republican alternative to former President Barack Obama's signature health care law.

Trump has visited his second home in Palm Beach on four of the last five weekends. When Trump last left Mar-a-Lago on Sunday afternoon, he had spent 10 days -- nearly 23 percent of his presidency at that time -- in Florida.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a notice Wednesday of planned flight restrictions for "VIP movement" in the Louisville, Ky., area for Saturday. A Louisville International Airport spokeswoman later confirmed a Saturday visit, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported.

The FAA, which usually issues flight restrictions by the Wednesday before a weekend presidential visit, has not announced any restrictions for the Palm Beach area for the coming weekend. Nor has the town of Palm Beach notified residents of any of the road closures near Mar-a-Lago that usually accompany a Trump visit.

The White House has not confirmed Trump's weekend plans.

"We have nothing to announce with respect to the president's schedule," White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Wednesday in response to a reporter's question about the Kentucky trip and whether it was to promote the health care bill.

"I do anticipate the president to be very active in his support for the repeal and replace effort," Spicer added.

Trump is expected to begin trying to persuade lawmakers -- including Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and other skeptical conservatives -- to support a House Republican health care bill overhauling the Affordable Care Act.

Paul has criticized the House's Trump-endorsed health care bill as "Obamacare Lite." Trump tried to woo him via Twitter on Tuesday night.

"I feel sure that my friend @RandPaul will come along with the new and great health care program because he knows Obamacare is a disaster!" Trump tweeted.

Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio appears to be more open to the House bill. In an interview with WJNO 1290-AM on Wednesday, Rubio said the House bill is "not 100 percent of what I would want to see," but he did not explicitly criticize it.

Rubio said he's waiting to see a cost estimate and an assessment of its impact on Florida residents.

"Obviously I want to see the score, the numbers, the impact, and its impact on Florida too is critically important to me. I don't want to see this being unfair to the state of Florida in comparison to other places," Rubio told WJNO.

The lone Republican in Palm Beach County's U.S. House delegation, Rep. Brian Mast, R-Palm City, called the bill "far from perfect" and said he's seeking input from constituents on it.

Staff writer Mike Stucka contributed to this story.

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