Trump brings transition team to Somerset County
Trump arrived at his golf club in Bedminster late Friday afternoon and plans to meet with 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney
BEDMINSTER - Bedminster is a quiet community and residents want it to stay that way.
But that may be a problem because Donald Trump will be spending his first weekend at Trump National Golf Club as president-elect, and that could disturb the peace and quiet that Bedminster residents cherish.
Trump's motorcade arrived at 5:16 p.m. The president-elect gave a thumbs-up from the backseat of his black SUV while sitting next to Reince Priebus, who has been named his chief of staff. About four dozen people cheered him from the steps of the clubhouse.
By Friday afternoon, members of the media had camped out on Lamington Road across from the entrance to the club. Temporary "no stopping or parking" signs had been posted on both sides of a milelong stretch of the road, prompting reporters and TV trucks to find parking where they could at least a half-mile from the exclusive club's entrance.
Cowperwaithe Road, which runs through the country club, was closed at both the north and south ends.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced temporary flight restrictions over the club. Mayor Steve Parker, who owns nearby Somerset Airport, said business at the airport will be as usual this weekend, though there will be no student solo flights or instrument landing training. Some runways will be closed so the small planes do not have to fly over the club at a relatively low altitude.
Though Trump spent several weekends here during the campaign prepping for the debates with Hillary Clinton, this is the first time he has visited Bedminster since the Nov. 8 election.
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It will be a working weekend for Trump and his team handling the transition. Reports indicate that former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney will be coming to Bedminster for talks with Trump about possibly being nominated as secretary of state.
With Trump taking the oath of office in two months, his presence in Bedminster means that security measures have increased exponentially.
"It will take some time getting used to," said Parker, who added that he spent most of Friday fielding questions from the media.
Trump's decision to spend the weekend in Bedminster was made this week, causing a sense of urgency for the heightened security to be put in place, the mayor said.
"It came together fast," he said.
More meetings will be held in the coming days on the security, which will involve law enforcement at all levels, from the township to the Secret Service.
"This is not going away," Parker said.
With Trump owning other country clubs in the metropolitan area and across the country, Parker said that Bedminster "should be flattered" that Trump is choosing this spot to spend the weekend.
The Bedminster country club, which will host the 2017 U.S. Women's Open and the 2022 PGA Championship, both of which will attract thousands of spectators to the township, is one of the president-elect's favorite places, said Ed Russo, former township planning board chairman and environmental consultant to the Trump Organization.
"He loves Bedminster," Russo said.
Trump had even submitted plans to the township for a small family cemetery on the property, but he later changed his plans and said he wanted to be buried at his estate in Florida.
The country club was the setting of the lavish wedding of Trump's daughter, Ivanka, to Jared Kushner in September 2015. Residents say they have seen members of the Trump family at local grocery stores.
The country club is in the western part of Bedminster, where most properties have at least 10 acres and horses outnumber people. Not far from Trump National are the homes of two former governors, Tom Kean and Christine Whitman, and former GOP presidential candidate Steve Forbes. Woody Johnson, one of the heirs of the Johnson & Johnson fortune and owner of the New York Jets, also lives close to the country club.
According to the club's website, there are five cottages and 11 single-room suites for overnight accommodations. The property used to be the estate of automaker John DeLorean, who lost it in bankruptcy proceedings.
The impact of Trump's weekend on the more-densely populated parts of the township near the villages of Bedminster (the village is inside the township) and Pluckemin could be minimal.
But that's where members of the media can find plenty of places to have lunch, Parker said.
Next year, when the U.S. Women's Open will be held at Trump Nation, about 20,000 people will be attending, but the township has already been having meetings with the United States Golf Association, headquartered in Bernards, about preparations for the event, Parker said.
Staff Writer Mike Deak: 908-243-6607; mdeak@mycentral jersey.com