Donald Trump made a surprise and unannounced visit to Washington D.C. on Sunday, prompting speculation and rumors about the reason for his trip.
A video of Trump arriving at Dulles Airport in Virginia, an airport frequently used by those heading to the capital, was posted online by freelance reporter Andrew Leyden.
The former president can be seen getting out of a plane and heading into a vehicle waiting on the asphalt. Trump appears to be wearing golf shoes and a white polo top.
A motorcade of vehicles then drives away, with Leyden suggesting Trump was heading to his golf course in D.C.
Trump, who has only visited Washington D.C once since he left the White House in January 2021, made no mention of the trip on Truth Social, the social media account he frequently posts on, or via any other statement.
The surprise visit has resulted in a range of theories being shared online. Some have suggested that Trump may be in D.C. because he is due to be arrested by the Department of Justice, or that he may be visiting the Walter Reed hospital for health reasons.
Trump potentially faces a number of indictments in connection with the January 6 attack and his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. He is also facing an FBI investigation into claims he mishandled classified documents seized from his Mar-a-Lago resort, and then allegedly attempted to obstruct the inquiry.
Many have suggested that Trump being dressed in golf attire suggests the visit was not planned, or needed to be taken at a moment’s notice.
Others noted that Trump may be in the capital to attend a speech due to be given by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, at an event hosted by the America First Policy Institute and the Abraham Accords Peace Institute on Monday.
Lindy Li, a political commentator and Democratic National Committee member, tweeted: “Trump is in DC 57 days before the election. Which is right around the DOJ’s alleged 60-day threshold for ‘election year sensitivities.’ So, if the theories of indictment hold true, this would be perfect timing.”
Li added: “He was well enough to deplane by himself so if it’s a medical emergency it can’t be that dire. Which paves the way for other explanations.”
Lawyer George Conway, husband of former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, dismissed the idea that Trump is in D.C. to play golf as it “hasn’t exactly been golf weather here.”
“It’s been arraigning — I mean, raining,” Conway added.
Author, journalist and attorney Seth Abramson was one of those who played down the speculation as to why Trump is in D.C.
“I’m seeing many people saying he’s at Walter Reed with no evidence to support the claim. Others are saying he’s going to be arraigned tomorrow, but DOJ has implied it’ll take no such action pre-election,” Abramson tweeted. “A search of a Trump DC property? Possibly—but no evidence of *that*, either.”
The Twitter account of the left-wing blog the Palmer Report also suggested the reason for the visit may not be as exciting as Trump critics are hoping it will be.
“If the DOJ is behind this, the best hope we have for a swift explanation is if Trump himself blabs about it on his social network. But in such a case we wouldn’t know whether to believe any of what he says anyway,” the Palmer Report tweeted.
“If Trump is faking a sudden health issue because he mistakenly believes that checking into a hospital will save him from being indicted and arrested… yawn. Short of that, why would Trump abruptly decide to voluntarily rush to DC, still dressed in golf course clothes, looking more frazzled than ever? Can’t think of any reason that would interest me. Meeting with a new incompetent lawyer? Yawn.”
The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington group added: “Look, it’s kind of weird that Trump flew to DC tonight and no one seems to know why. There’s a lot of speculation, so let’s just wait until we know more before jumping to conclusions. But it is weird.”
Trump has been contacted for comment.
