President Trump is expected to outline his plans for the future of Medicare when he visits The Villages on Thursday afternoon.
After flying into Ocala International Airport aboard Air Force One, the president is expected to make the 40-minute trip to Florida’s Friendliest Hometown for a 1:30 p.m. invitation-only event at the Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center. The trip is being billed as an official White House visit, but Trump is expected to sign an executive order titled “Protecting Medicare from Socialist Destruction,” an obvious jab at the many Democratic candidates hoping to run against him in the 2020 election.
Trump’s speech is expected to focus on Medicare Advantage, a program where private insurers provide benefits to seniors – oftentimes with a zero monthly premium – that goes above and beyond regular fee-for-service Medicare and doesn’t often involve the heavy costs associated with Supplemental plans. His selection of The Villages is particularly fitting for such an announcement because of the 125,000-plus seniors who live in the community and the fact that The Villages Health, owned by the Developer of the mega-retirement community, is predicated on Medicare Advantage plans administered by UnitedHealthcare and beginning Jan. 1, Florida Blue, one of the nation’s largest networks of medical providers.
The president also is expected to defend his record on healthcare and set himself apart from his Democratic challengers who are pushing for universal Medicare by talking about the importance of choice. And he’ll most likely address his concerns and efforts to bring down prices on prescription drug plans, possibly including a bill signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis during a trip to The Villages in June that would allow Floridians to save money by purchasing prescriptions from Canada.
Meanwhile, excitement was in the air this week at Spanish Springs as crews prepared The Sharon and town square for the president’s visit. A Jumbotron-type screen is supposed to be set up in town square that will broadcast the president’s speech from inside The Sharon. And while some roads and parking lots will be closed, merchants are planning to remain open throughout the day.
On Wednesday afternoon, a small satellite dish was set up outside The Sharon, surrounded by caution tape warning of radiation. Behind the theater, a large hospitality tent was put into place, complete with piped-in air conditioning, as the temperature in The Villages Thursday is expected to be about 93 degrees. And a satellite truck already was parked outside the theater.
Excitement also was building Wednesday among members of Villagers for Trump, the grassroots organization that formed a little more than a year ago and clearly has become the choice among area Republicans hoping to play an active role in GOP politics.
Club Founder David Gee said his phone has continued to ring constantly as Villagers, area residents and even those from outside the community seek ways to hear the president speak. He said the club’s membership roster has jumped dramatically in the past few days – an increase he attributed to Trump’s visit – and now sits at more than 2,100 members.
“Our members are tremendously excited to have President Trump coming here,” said Villagers for Trump Executive Director Sid Bowdidge, who served on the president’s specialized campaign strike team that traveled the country in 2016.
Bowdidge said club members are planning to bring dozens of Trump-themed golf carts to town square to show their support for the president. And he said members of a new Republican Club in Spruce Creek that hopes to form a chapter of Villagers for Trump will be in Spanish Springs to take part in the festivities as well.
“The exposure from this visit has people talking and has helped increased our membership base by 300-plus new members over the past 72 hours,” Bowdidge said. “We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to make it more simple for Trump supporters to join on our website (VillagersforTrump.org) and get involved to help save our country from falling to the socialists.”
Villagers for Trump also is hosting the second annual Trump Day Dinner on Thursday night at Eisenhower Recreation Center. The sold-out event will feature actor Stephen Baldwin, a huge Trump supporter and the somewhat estranged brother of actor Alec Baldwin, who frequently parodies the president on “Saturday Night Live.” Baldwin’s appearance has been highly anticipated by Villagers for Trump members who also continue to hold out hope that the president might make a surprise appearance at the event.
Trump’s visit Thursday will mark his first in Central Florida since he kicked off his re-election campaign in June at the Amway Center in Orlando – an event attended by several Villagers for Trump members. That event also drew a large crowd to Gator’s Dockside in Brownwood for a watch party that took up about half of the eatery.
