11 p.m. UPDATE: It was not immediately clear tonight whether the Syrian action would alter plans for President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to hold meetings and a “working lunch” Friday before Xi departs. Even before Trump ordered missile strikes against an airbase in Syria, the U.S. response to Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons was overshadowing the summit, The Post’s George Bennett reports.
As Air Force One headed to Palm Beach International Airport in the afternoon, Trump told reporters that “I guess something should happen” in response to what Trump called the “disgrace to humanity” in Syria. The missile strikes began a few hours later as Trump dined with Xi at Mar-a-Lago.
10 p.m. UPDATE: President Trump ordered an attack on a Syrian air base with roughly 60 cruise missiles in response to a chemical weapons attack it blames on President Bashar Assad. U.S. officials say the Tomahawk missiles were fired from two warships in the Mediterranean Sea, targeting a government-controlled air base in Syria, according to The Associated Press.
In a speech from Mar-a-Lago, Trump called on “civilized nations” to join U.S. in “seeking to end the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria.”
The bombing represents President Donald Trump’s most dramatic military order since taking office.
MORE ON THE ATTACK
8:25 p.m. UPDATE: The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said it has identified five people arrested today in connection with the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinpeng.
» COMPLETE COVERAGE: Presidential summit in Palm Beach
8:05 p.m. UPDATE: World politics landed in Palm Beach County on Thursday as President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping began a summit at Mar-a-Lago amid tensions with North Korea and Syria.
A third president, Guatemala’s Jimmy Morales, was also in the county on Thursday to mark the opening of a Guatemalan consulate in Lake Worth.
Read a wrap-up of the day from Post reporter George Bennett
7:20 p.m. UPDATE: Most protesters and supporters have cleared out of the area near the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Manalapan, where China’s President Xi Jinping is staying as he holds meetings with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
Earlier today, three protesters were arrested as Xi’s motorcade made its way to the Eau Palm Beach. Get the latest on the arrests.
Barricades and towering fences will remain in place along South Ocean Boulevard and Ocean Avenue near the resort until Xi leaves Palm Beach County tomorrow afternoon.
6:30 p.m. UPDATE: The menu has been revealed for tonight’s state dinner at Mar-a-Lago.
Entree options from the estate’s kitchen: pan-seared Dover Sole or dry-aged prime New York strip steak. Read more.
5:45 p.m. UPDATE: China’s President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan have arrived at Mar-a-Lago for their first meeting with President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump.
According to pool reports, the Trumps greeted Xi and his wife at the door upon their arrival. The group will “share some private time” before eating dinner at 6:30 p.m., White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said today.
» COMPLETE COVERAGE: Presidential summit in Palm Beach
5:30 p.m. UPDATE: First lady Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan, the wife of China’s President Xi Jinping, will visit a local school tomorrow, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters on Air Force One this afternoon.
Spicer did not say which school the pair will visit.
This story will be updated as more information is available.
5 p.m. UPDATE: Press pool photos have provided a look inside the dining room where President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping will have dinner tonight with their wives and high-level officials.
See the photos and learn more about the dining room.
4:30 p.m. UPDATE: When President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping meet tonight at Mar-a-Lago, there are several possible high-profile topics that are sure to be on the agenda. See what could be up for discussion.
The presidents and their wives also will eat dinner at the club. Whether they will be in the dining room — where Trump has hosted dinners with past visitors, including Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — or a separate space away from the prying eyes of club members and guests has not been announced.
» Three protesters arrested as Trump and Xi arrive in Palm Beach
4:05 p.m. UPDATE: Sightseers are beginning to gather at Palm Beach International Airport to snap photos of Air Force One and the Air China plane on which China’s President Xi Jinping arrived this afternoon.
Find out how to see the planes before they leave.
3:45 p.m. UPDATE: Speaking to the press pool aboard Air Force One just before landing at Palm Beach International Airport, President Donald Trump said the chemical attack in Syria this week “is truly one of the egregious crimes.”
When asked if Syrian President Bashar Assad should step down, Trump replied, “I think what happened in Syria is a disgrace to humanity, and he’s there, and I guess he’s running things, so I guess something should happen.”
His comments came less than an hour after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson addressed the situation in Syria as he greeted China’s President Xi Jinping at Palm Beach International Airport.
“There is no doubt in our minds that the Syrian regime is responsible for this attack,” Tillerson said. “The Russian government must carefully consider their continued support for the Assad regime.”
» COMPLETE COVERAGE: Presidential summit in Palm Beach
3:25 p.m. UPDATE: International diplomacy arrived at Palm Beach International Airport Thursday as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping, then sent a warning shot to Syria and Russia.
Tillerson spoke at PBIA shortly after Xi’s motorcade rolled away. He rattled off a series of issues that President Donald Trump will raise with Xi in “candid discussions.”
See what Tillerson said.
3:15 p.m. UPDATE: President Donald Trump’s motorcade has arrived at Mar-a-Lago. Southern Boulevard, I-95, Australian Avenue and Dixie Highway have reopened.
Expect congestion on area roads throughout the afternoon as gridlock begins to clear.
Check back for traffic updates throughout the afternoon and evening.
3:10 p.m. UPDATE: Motorists near Palm Beach International Airport and in West Palm Beach should get some relief soon once President Donald Trump’s motorcade arrives at Mar-a-Lago.
Until then, Southern Boulevard from the airport to the estate is closed, and all adjoining north-south roads are closed as well, including I-95, Australian Avenue and Dixie Highway.
Get a breakdown of which roads to avoid and when to avoid them.
3:05 p.m. UPDATE: President Donald Trump’s motorcade has left Palm Beach International, heading to his Mar-a-Lago Club.
We’re also following news that three protesters have been arrested near the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Manalapan. Check here for updates on the protest arrests.
2:58 p.m. UPDATE: President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump have arrived at Palm Beach International Airport aboard Air Force One.
2:42 p.m. UPDATE: Three protesters have been detained near the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Manalapan ahead of China’s President Xi Jinping’s arrival there.
Check here for updates on the arrests.
2:30 p.m. UPDATE: Southern Boulevard from Palm Beach International Airport to Mar-a-Lago is temporarily closed, along with Interstate 95, Australian Avenue, Dixie Highway and other intersecting north-south roads along the route President Donald Trump’s motorcade will take when he arrives within the next 20 minutes.
Get a breakdown of which roads to avoid and when to avoid them.
Traffic is backing up throughout West Palm Beach and surrounding areas, our reporters in the field tell us.
Drivers hoping to avoid Southern Boulevard and I-95 and take Florida’s Turnpike are crowding Okeechobee Boulevard and Belvedere Road.
Expect delays throughout the afternoon.
2:10 p.m. UPDATE: The motorcade carrying China’s President Xi Jinping has left Palm Beach International Airport. Officials indicate the motorcade will travel down Southern Boulevard toward Mar-a-Lago. Expect delays in the area.
2 p.m. UPDATE: China’s President Xi Jinping was greeted at Palm Beach International Airport by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
Xi’s motorcade is expected to leave PBIA shortly.
1:40 p.m. UPDATE: The Air China plane carrying China’s President Xi Jinping has taxied to the north side of Palm Beach International Airport, where a crowd of greeters, media and military honor guard members are gathered.
Xi will disembark soon, then travel to the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Manalapan before going to Mar-a-Lago this evening for dinner with President Donald Trump.
1:33 p.m. UPDATE: China’s President Xi Jinping has landed at Palm Beach International Airport.
Xi is expected to travel from PBIA to the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Manalapan, where he and his delegation are staying during his meeting with President Donald Trump.
1:15 p.m. UPDATE: China’s President Xi Jinping is expected to arrive within minutes at Palm Beach International Airport. Roads could begin to close soon in the area.
Get a breakdown of which roads to avoid and when to avoid them.
Passengers waiting to board planes at the airport can see the staging area for Xi’s arrival from the terminal.
1:08 p.m. UPDATE: Chinese greeters awaiting the arrival of President Xi Jinping are sharing photos on social media of their gathering near the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Manalapan.
And on Bingham Island near President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club, protesters also are sharing photos of their demonstration.
At each site, the greeters can be identified by their red shirts and hats, while protesters are wearing yellow shirts.
Xi is expected to arrive between 1 and 1:30 p.m. at Palm Beach International Airport, then travel to the Eau Palm Beach, where he is staying as he meets with Trump today and tomorrow at Mar-a-Lago.
A massive delegation from China has booked nearly every room at the resort, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said yesterday in a news conference.
12:45 p.m. UPDATE: Broward County Sheriff’s Office deputies have arrived near the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Manalapan, where China’s President Xi Jinping is staying, to assist with crowd control.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said in a news conference yesterday that BSO deputies would be on standby to assist if needed.
Hundreds of protesters and supporters have gathered near the Eau Palm Beach. Chinese greeters, donning red shirts, are stretched along South Ocean Boulevard and Ocean Avenue next to the resort. Protesters in yellow shirts also line the road, which is hedged by barricades to keep people out of the street.
Follow Post reporter Alexandra Seltzer on Twitter, @alexseltzer, for updates from the scene.
» PHOTO GALLERY: Trump and Xi visit Palm Beach
12:35 p.m. UPDATE: President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump have boarded Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews for the flight to Palm Beach International Airport.
The pair walked up the plane’s staircase as rain poured down — a scene that will play out nearly in reverse when they arrive in West Palm Beach, as storms are expected to move through when they land between 2:30 and 3 p.m.
12:25 p.m. UPDATE: China’s President Xi Jinping now is expected to arrive at Palm Beach International Airport between 1 and 1:30 p.m., officials said.
A red carpet has been rolled out for Xi, who will meet with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago tonight through tomorrow afternoon.
Trump is expected to arrive later, between 2:30 and 3 p.m.
» Roads to avoid and Trump and Xi visit Palm Beach County
12:19 p.m. UPDATE: The arrival of China’s President Xi Jinping at Palm Beach International Airport could be a rainy one.
Xi is expected to land within the hour at the airport, then travel by motorcade to the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa, where he staying while in town to meet with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
» COMPLETE COVERAGE: Presidential summit in Palm Beach
Hundreds of protesters and supporters have gathered near Mar-a-Lago and the Eau Palm Beach — and those crowds most likely will see rain soon.
Palm Beach Post weather reporter Kimberly Miller (follow her on Twitter @KMillerWeather) said though early forecasts had storms moving into the area around 2 p.m., that rain could be here even sooner. Those storms dropped hail and brought severe weather to the Treasure Coast, prompting tornado warnings in Indian River and Okeechobee counties.
Either way, both presidents will arrive to wet weather in the Palm Beaches. Get the latest weather updates.
12:07 p.m. UPDATE: About 500 protesters have gathered at the corner of Southern Boulevard and Flagler Drive ahead of President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping’s arrivals in Palm Beach County today.
The protesters told Palm Beach Post reporter Jorge Milian (follow him on Twitter @caneswatch) they are Vietnamese-American, with some having traveled from California to protest Xi’s presence in the U.S.
Some harsh words were exchanged between the protesters and Chinese greeters in place to welcome Xi, with one protester with a megaphone yelling at the group of Chinese nationals.
EARLIER STORY: President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will arrive in Palm Beach this afternoon for a 24-hour summit.
Both presidents are expected to arrive at Palm Beach International Airport, with Xi flying in between noon and 1 p.m., and Trump landing in Air Force One between 2:30 and 3 p.m.
» COMPLETE COVERAGE: President Donald Trump in Palm Beach
Hundreds of protesters and supporters already have gathered in three spots: near the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Manalapan, where Xi is staying; along Southern Boulevard near Mar-a-Lago; and along Southern Boulevard between Flagler and Dixie Highway.
Stay with The Palm Beach Post for the latest updates throughout the day.
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