Trump Spending Weekend In Florida Despite Pressing Matters In DC
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
WASHINGTON (CBSMiami) – A White House deputy press secretary released a statement Saturday applauding the young marchers for exercising their rights-- and said "keeping our children safe is a top priority" for president trump.
The president, meanwhile, left Washington, D.C. well before the march to spend the weekend at his home in Florida.
With the country focused on gun control, President Trump is touting the Justice Department's newly announced ban on bump stocks.
In a Friday tweet, the President blamed the Obama administration for not regulating the accessory, calling it a "BAD IDEA."
But a bump stock ban would not have prevented the Parkland school shooting, with students at today's march in Washington saying it's just the beginning.
"When they give us an inch, that bump stock ban, we'll take a mile," Parkland student Delaney Tarr said at Saturday's March For Our Lives in Washington, D.C.
Increased federal funds will go toward background checks as well as mental health and criminal record sharing as part of the $1.3 trillion dollar spending bill signed into law Friday.
"We're extremely proud of what we've been able to do when it comes to our military," Trump said of the bill.
On the same day Trump signed the bill, which comes with a $60 billion dollar increase in defense spending - the White House announced a new transgender military ban.
But it won't take effect until multiple court injunctions are resolved.
The White House said transgender individuals present a "considerable risk to military effectiveness."
Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called the announcement "disgusting" and said the President's plan is "hateful."
All this comes on the heels of the appointment of former UN Ambassador John Bolton as the Trump administration's third National Security Adviser.
John Bolton replaces HR McMaster April 9th as President Trump's continues to replace dissenters within the White House.
His personal lawyer John Dowd also left his role this past week as the special counsel looks to interview the President and multiple legal cases alleging infidelity gain attention.
