‘I’m not grabbing Karoline’: Trump jokes on turbulent flight back from Mar-a-Lago | Video

Air Force One hit strong turbulence on Sunday, January 11, as US President Donald Trump was flying back to Washington from Mar-a-Lago, which serves as his regular residence and a presidential retreat. Speaking mid-flight amid the bumpy ride, Trump once again made a strange remark about his White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt.

“I’m going to grab here, because it’s going to get rough, and I don’t seem to be in a great position. I think you did this to me. You put me in a position where there’s absolutely nothing to grab. So I’m looking for something to grab, and it’s not going to be Karoline,” he said.

Meanwhile, Trump’s motorcade in Florida took a different route than usual to the airport as he was departing the state on Sunday due to a “suspicious object”, according to Associated Press (AP).

The White House said the object was found during routine security sweeps ahead of Trump’s arrival at Palm Beach International Airport, without providing further details.

“A further investigation was warranted and the presidential motorcade route was adjusted accordingly,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on Sunday.

When asked about the package by reporters, the president said, “I know nothing about it.”

Trump departed his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, at around 6:20 p.m. for the approximately 10-minute drive to the airport, but his motorcade took a longer, circuitous route through the city.

As the convoy moved, motorcycle police officers formed a rolling security perimeter, at one point narrowly avoiding a collision with the vans travelling alongside Trump.

Air Force One was positioned on a different side of the airport than usual, with the exterior lights near the aircraft switched off.

US Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said the alternate route was taken purely as a precaution, adding that “that is standard protocol”.

(With inputs from news agency AP)