WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—Steve Cambronne voted for Donald Trump three times. Now, he hopes the president’s far-reaching tariffs don’t hurt his small business.
Cambronne, 70 years old, a Fort Meyers-based artist, said sales of his whimsical, metallic sculptures were down this weekend, a decline he blames on public concern about the fallout from the tariffs. He decided to skip a coming art show in the Washington, D.C., area because he thinks laid-off federal workers might not have enough spare cash to buy his art.
“He has to do these things, I think, in order to correct the abuse in power that’s been around forever,” Cambronne said of Trump. But he said if public concern about the tariffs escalates and leads to a long-term slowdown in spending, “we’re in trouble.”
A few miles down the road, Trump, who last week announced plans to levy tariffs of at least 10% on almost all nations, spent much of the weekend out of sight in Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach.
As markets swooned and countries flocked to negotiate (administration officials said Sunday that more than 50 had reached out), Trump visited his golf courses. Three of them.
On Thursday, he dined with LIV Golf players celebrating the start of a three-day tournament at Trump National Doral Golf Club. On Friday he spent nearly six hours at Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach. On Saturday he played in a tournament at his golf club in Jupiter, Fla., winning his second-round matchup of the Senior Club Championship and advancing to the championship round on Sunday, the White House said.
Trump posted a video on social media Sunday of him teeing off. “Beautiful,” a man exclaimed after the president swung. The White House didn’t send word of his finish in the tournament.
This weekend’s trip marks Trump’s eighth visit to Mar-a-Lago since he took office 11 weeks ago, according to Mark Knoller, a former CBS News journalist who keeps track of presidential activities. The president has spent time at golf courses at least 19 times, Knoller said. When Barack Obama was president, Trump criticized him for golfing.
On tariffs, Trump has offered few hints at his next steps. He spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One on the way to Florida on Thursday, saying that the tariffs give the U.S. “great power to negotiate.” And he has posted on Truth Social more than 40 times since the tariff announcement. But he hasn’t given formal remarks aimed at calming the markets.
An administration official said Trump had tariff-related discussions over the weekend but didn’t provide details. Senior Trump officials fanned out on television news programs Sunday to defend the tariffs.
“President Trump is the hardest-working president the American people have ever had,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “He is constantly reading the news, taking calls from people across the country and all over the world, and working deals to advance our nation’s interests.”
Meanwhile, Mar-a-Lago continued in recent days to be the epicenter of the MAGA universe. On Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and Javier Milei, the president of Argentina, appeared at a black-tie gala at the club. Trump didn’t stop by, according to attendees.
On Friday, Trump attended a $1 million-per-person dinner at Mar-a-Lago to raise money for MAGA Inc., a Trump-supporting super PAC.
Cosmetics billionaire Ronald Lauder, casino magnate Steve Wynn and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang were spotted at Trump’s club over the weekend, according to people familiar with the matter.
Trump didn’t travel to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Friday for the dignified transfer of four American soldiers who died during a training exercise in Lithuania. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attended instead, Leavitt said. An administration official said the White House is corresponding with the families of the soldiers.
The president has encouraged the public to bear with him through the potential fallout from the tariffs, which is likely to include higher prices. “HANG TOUGH, it won’t be easy, but the end result will be historic,” he wrote on social media Saturday. “We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”
Stacey Fitzpatrick, 55, of Stewart, Fla., said she’s following Trump’s counsel. She lost money in the stock market in recent days, but says she is giving the president a chance.
“You’re not in it for the short term,” said Fitzpatrick, a saleswoman who voted for Trump. “Don’t look at your 401(k) today, tomorrow, next week. Let’s see where it goes, you know, and see what he does with it.”
Out for ice cream in nearby West Palm Beach on Saturday, Scott and Kelly Gurosky worried that Trump was moving too fast. Both typically vote Republican, though Scott Gurosky, 56, said he didn’t vote in November, not liking his choices.
Scott Gurosky, a construction design consultant, said the uncertainty around tariffs makes it hard for businesses in his industry to plan. Kelly Gurosky, 55, a retired teacher who voted for Trump, said she understands why the president wants to bring back American manufacturing. But she doesn’t think he has enough time in office to implement his vision.
“I see the long play…but he’s got 3½ years—and I don’t think in 3½ years his long play is going to play out,” she said.
Write to Natalie Andrews at natalie.andrews@wsj.com
