One thousand, one hundred eleven minutes.
How do you measure President Donald Trump’s quick Friday overnighter in Honolulu? In security briefings; in visits with governors; in somber moments at the USS Arizona Memorial; in a stopover at Pearl Harbor; in a stay at the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach; in an employee grip and grin at the Trump International Hotel Waikiki; in protests; in praise; in traffic jams.
The 1,111 minutes refers to Trump’s time on the ground in Honolulu and not the length of the commute during motorcade movements that gridlocked the H-1 freeway and even some feeder streets. Traffic into Waikiki was so bad that even the Royal Hawaiian Center’s parking garage was notably empty during the normal Friday night rush. The last traffic disruption occurred Saturday morning as Trump’s 35-vehicle motorcade left for Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
“The president stopped by the Trump Hotel on his way to the airport. It has been a tremendously successful project and he wanted to say hello and thank you to the employees for all their hard work, ” said Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House press secretary.
Photographers saw the president get out of the limo with his adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner. John Kelly, White House chief of staff, was spotted near the hotel’s front doors, according to the media pool report.
Trump, who was accompanied by first lady Melania Trump and a smattering of top aides, including national security adviser H.R. McMaster, packed a heavy schedule during his short trip. Then, with a wave, he left Hawaii at 7:27 a.m. Saturday.
Saturday’s departure, which did not include crowds, contrasted with the more orchestrated welcome extended for the first couple’s Friday afternoon arrival at Hickam Field. They were welcomed to the state by Adm. Harry Harris, commander of U.S. forces in Asia and the Pacific; his wife, Bruni Bradley; and Gov. David Ige and his wife, Dawn Amano-Ige. A crowd of about 150 also included uniformed members from various military branches and local Republican officials.
Long trip ahead
Trump arrived in Tokyo at 10:48 a.m. Japan time Sunday for the start of his first official trip to Asia. Discussions may include North Korea’s move to develop a fleet of nuclear-tipped, long-range missiles and China’s attempt to expand its military presence by creating artificial islands in the South China Sea. Trump also might address what he sees as an unfair U.S. trade imbalance in the region.
Trump told reporters Saturday during a gaggle inside the Tokyo-bound plane that he plans to meet with several different leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“We want Putin’s help on North Korea,” Trump told the media pool.
Trump also defended his plan to continue his tough rhetoric on North Korea while in Asia.
“Well, we want to get it solved. It’s a big problem for our country and for the world, and we want to get it solved. And there’s been 25 years of total weakness, and so we’re taking a very much different approach,” he told the media pool.
When asked if North Korea might use the Asia trip as an excuse to demonstrate a missile test, Trump replied, “We’ll soon find out. Good luck!”
During his 12-day trip, Trump also will stop in South Korea, China and Southeast Asia for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vietnam and the Association of Southeastern Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders’ meeting in the Philippines.
Ann Wright, a retired U.S. Army colonel and U.S. State Department official who opposed the Iraq War, said she’s concerned that Trump’s “war rhetoric” and any “untoward remarks” that he makes during the trip could increase tensions.
Wright carried a “No War in North Korea” sign Saturday while participating in an anti-Trump rally in Honolulu. During the event, some 150 protesters marched from Ala Moana Park to Thomas Square as part of a nationwide mobilization.
“It’s not helpful for a U.S. president to engage via tweets. It’s unacceptable on a diplomatic level,” Wright said. “Dialogue is what’s critical. When has war ever solved anything?”
While in Hawaii, Trump did spend time talking to Hawaii’s government leaders and top military brass. On Friday, he met with the governors of Hawaii, Alaska and the Pacific U.S. territories. Trump and his advisers also attended a Friday briefing at Camp Smith with the commanders of Pacific Air Forces, U.S. Army Pacific, Marine Forces Pacific and other brass. He also got a private briefing later in the day.
Details from the governors’ meeting in Hawaii were unknown at press time. However, Ige told a reporter that he and his wife had talked to Kelly about “our commitment to keeping our community safe.”
“The president is working to establish a stronger relationship, especially with our allies in Japan, South Korea, China. Improving the China relationship is fundamentally important, ” said Ige, who has been critical of Trump in the past, especially on matters concerning immigration and travel bans.
Mixed reception
Trump faced criticism from multiple fronts in Hawaii, the state that gave Hillary Clinton the largest margin in last year’s presidential election. In addition to Saturday’s protest, about 300 demonstrators, including state Rep. Kaniela Ing, gathered in front of the state Capitol late Friday afternoon for an event organized by anti-Trump group Hawaii J20+.
“We don’t like Trump. He’s not a good person. He doesn’t care about most things and he’s pretty selfish,” said 9-year-old Makena Miranda, who joined protesters Saturday with elementary school classmates Zen Leong and Princess Pahinag. The children brought Zen’s pet guinea pig to the event, where some viewed the “protest pig” as an unofficial mascot.
Still, the Trumps got a mostly mixed reception as they traversed the island Friday for what was a 19-hour day counting their start in Washington, D.C. Some boos could be heard as the president’s vehicle first entered Waikiki on Friday. However, there also were friendly faces cheering in the crowd.
“We’ve been waiting about two to three hours to see him,” said Sunny Iboshi, who was visiting from Portland, Ore. “We saw Reagan and Nixon, too.”
Reaction to the first couple’s visit to the USS Arizona Memorial later that day was largely positive. Adeline C. Marks, who spent nearly seven hours outside the memorial, said she was delighted to glimpse the president that she helped vote into office.
“He couldn’t help but see my Trump-Pence sign. It was as large as a queen-sized bed,” Marks said. “He looked in my direction and waved. I was ecstatic. It was like I had won the lottery.”
Star-Advertiser staff, wire services and media pool reports contributed to this article.
