Donald Trump‘s departure for Iowa aboard Air Force One drew attention after aides were spotted carrying an unexpected item onto the aircraft. As Trump boarded the aircraft in West Palm Beach on Sunday, November 1, aides carried several bubble-wrapped pictures in gold frames, including a portrait of former President Bill Clinton. The reason for bringing Clinton’s portrait aboard remains unclear.
Donald Trump aides carry gold-framed Clinton picture before Iowa trip
The president was scheduled to attend a campaign rally in Iowa ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. According to The Washington Post reporter Katherine Doyle, the presidential motorcade reached Donald J. Trump International Airport at 11:52 a.m. Trump boarded Air Force One three minutes later under a black umbrella (via The Mirror).
The unusual sight of aides carrying framed pictures onto the aircraft attracted attention. Doyle reported that agents carried several bubble-wrapped, gilded frames, including one containing Clinton’s portrait. The White House did not immediately explain why the portrait was being transported.
The sighting coincided with Clinton’s campaign appearances in Mississippi on behalf of Democratic candidates. Both presidents were campaigning ahead of the November 3 elections, which will determine control of Congress.
During a Friday rally in Daytona Beach, Trump described the midterms as “the most important midterm elections ever.” Clinton also urged Mississippi voters to support Democratic Senate candidate Scott Colom. Invoking former Republican President George Bush, Clinton said, “My friend George Bush once said, ‘Democracy is self-correcting.’ We are about to find out in Mississippi if it’s true.”
Trump had spent much of October campaigning for Republican candidates ahead of the midterms. Although he briefly suggested switching to tele-rallies and canceled his planned Iowa and Kansas visits, he later rescheduled both appearances for Sunday. At the Daytona event, he joked about the demanding campaign schedule, telling Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds, “I thought this was going to be my last one, Byron. I thought this was it. I thought I could relax. Twenty-eight days in a row of this crap is a lot.”
The Senate contests in Iowa and Kansas are among the races that could affect which party controls the chamber after the midterms.
