President Trump has a busy day before visit to SC to support Gov. McMaster

President Donald Trump is making an appearance at a fundraiser for South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster in Greenville Monday night.

The $250-per-plate dinner event at the Embassy Suites hotel and golf resort in Greenville is expected to last less than an hour, at which time Trump will head back to the White House.

While much attention in the Palmetto State is being paid to Trump’s trip, the president has had an active day leading up to his visit.

Most prominently, Trump held a news conference in the White House Rose Garden where he addressed a wide range of issues, including:

▪  Allegations of sexual assault made against him over the years, which Trump called “Fake news.”

▪  Criticisms from Hillary Clinton on NFL player protests, to which Trump said “Hillary, please run again!”

▪  Questions about special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign, to which Trump said, “I’d like to see it end,” but added he is not considering firing Mueller.

▪  His relationship with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who also participated in the news conference, which prompted Trump to say he and McConnell are “closer than ever before.”

▪  What he and McConnell discussed at the White House Monday, saying Republicans are “close” on health care legislation and said they are working together on a tax overhaul.

▪  Other issues from the news conference included Steve Bannon and Trump’s nominee to be Drug Czar.

Another issue the president broached earlier in the day included his administration’s handling of the wildfires in California. More than 40 people have been killed in the wildfires, which have displaced tens of thousands of people.

“We have FEMA there. We have military there. We have first responders there,” Trump said. “It’s a tragic situation. We are working very closely from the representatives from California and we’re doing a good job. ”

Earlier in the day, Trump voiced his displeasure with Congressional Democrats on issues including his tax overhaul plan and the Iran nuclear deal, which he said he could withdraw from.

Trump also addressed two issues centering on his predecessor, former President Barack Obama.

Trump said his executive order to cut federal subsidies from Obama’s signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act also known as Obamacare, will improve health care. Trump said the action should lead to a bipartisan health care solution.

In a more controversial statement, Trump claimed he is one of few commanders-in-chief to call the families of fallen U.S. soldiers, and singled out Obama as a leader who never did so.

“The traditional way if you look at President Obama and other presidents, most of them didn’t make calls,” Trump said. “A lot of them didn’t make calls. I like to call when it’s appropriate, when I think I’m able to do it.”

After a reporter challenged Trump’s comments, he said he wasn’t sure if his allegation about Obama was true.

“I don’t know if he did (call),” Trump said.

Trump’s visit is seen as a thank you or reward to McMaster, who was one of his first supporters during the presidential campaign. At that time, McMaster was S.C.’s lieutenant governor, and ascended to the governor’s chair when Trump asked Nikki Haley to be the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

The fundraiser is a $250-per-plate dinner event at the Embassy Suites hotel and golf resort in Greenville. Up to 1,200 people are expected to attend the fundraiser. The event will also feature a VIP reception for corporate donors and large individual donors to McMaster’s campaign, but isn’t open to the public or the media.

This story was originally published October 16, 2017 at 5:39 PM with the headline "President Trump has a busy day before visit to SC to support Gov. McMaster."