After saying that he would be holding a "major meeting" on Friday to discuss veterans' affairs and issues around the VA healthcare system, Pres. Donald Trump canceled the meeting at the last minute.
According to Politico's Rebecca Morin, the meeting was slated to take place at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, FL, but pool reporters who filed on Friday night said that the meeting was canceled and that an explanation would be forthcoming on Saturday.
The Palm Beach Post said that Trump announced the meeting earlier on Friday with VA Secretary David Shulkin. Trump said it would be held at his private club because "that seems to be the most convenient location. Everybody always wants to go to the Southern White House."
However, when he turned to confirm with Shulkin, saying, "You're going to be there, right?", Shulkin shook his head.
"You heard about it, though?" Trump asked, to which Shulkin nodded.
Watch video of Trump and Shulkin's interaction:
Trump asks VA @SecShulkin if he's going to Mar-a-Lago. Shulkin shakes his head. pic.twitter.com/aZyiBC9Gnj
— POLITICO (@politico) March 17, 2017
According to TheHill.com, "The event never appeared on Trump's official schedule for the day and such a meeting has not been included in future schedules. Trump will have dinner with Ike Perlmutter, the Marvel CEO, on Saturday, according to pool reports. Trump had named Perlmutter as one of the people who he expected to attend his 'major meeting' on Friday."
Trump ran afoul of veterans' groups during the 2016 campaign when he claimed to have donated millions of dollars to veterans' charities, a claim that the Washington Post's David Fahrenthold proved to be a lie.
The meeting's abrupt cancelation is another easily-avoidable misstep by a White House that many D.C. insiders describe as inept, chaotic and riven by internal feuds.