Associated Press
Eds: Updates with details on lunch. With AP Photos.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump capped 2017 on Sunday with a video self-tribute touching on what he sees as the high points of his achievements and rhetoric from his first year in office. He gave a plug to American exceptionalism, too.
In the video running 3½ minutes, scenes of Trump with military personnel, Border Patrol agents and other world leaders are set to a stirring soundtrack as he declares of his country: “We gave birth to the modern world and we will shape tomorrow’s world with the strength and skill of American hands.”
Trump cited his success in placing a new justice on the Supreme Court, his efforts to cut regulations and his big win on overhauling taxes, which he falsely described as the “largest tax cut in the history of our country.”
Trump offered the video with a New Year’s Eve message, saying “What a year it’s been, and we’re just getting started. Together, we are MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Happy New Year!!”
The president is spending the holidays in Palm Beach, where his Mar-a-Lago club hosts an annual New Year’s Eve bash. At the event last year, hundreds of guests gathered in the club’s grand ballroom, including action star Sylvester Stallone and romance novel model Fabio.
The White House said Trump been briefed on New Year’s Eve security precautions around the country and will continue to monitor those efforts.
Trump offered his condolences Sunday to the victims of a shooting in suburban Denver that killed one sheriff’s deputy and wounded six other people, including four deputies. He tweeted: “We love our police and law enforcement – God Bless them all!”
Trump had lunch with Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Sunday. The White House said they discussed hurricane recovery efforts, the need to improve infrastructure “and many other matters important to the people of Florida.”
The governor came with some specific concerns: the need for repairs to the federally operated Herbert Hoover Dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee and the recovery of Florida’s citrus industry from Hurricane Irma, said his spokesman, John Tupps.
Trump has encouraged Scott to challenge Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat, in 2018. Scott said in December that he had not made up his mind, though there have been multiple signs he is considering a run.
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Associated Press writer Gary Fineout contributed from St. Augustine, Florida.
