President Trump left Los Angeles for St. Louis Wednesday morning. He spent Tuesday night in downtown L.A. after attending a fundraising dinner at the home of businessman Edward Glazer.
KPCC's political reporter Mary Plummer was at the scene near Glazer's home. She told Take Two's A Martinez there were some protesters in the area, but the evening was relatively calm.
Plummer said she watched the presidential motorcade's arrival and departure, and it was quite a sight.
[The presidential motorcade has] just an incredible police presence. There were probably well more than 20 cars and vehicles in the motorcade -- motorcycles, President Trump was traveling in a big, black SUV. On his way out, we were actually able to catch a glimpse of President Trump himself. He had the lights on in the SUV as he traveled out so everyone could see him as he left.
The guest list for the fundraising dinner Trump attended is still mostly under wraps, Plummer said. Edward Glazer, whose home hosted the event, is a businessman and supporter of the president. Glazer has also contributed some money to Hilary Clinton, but he is a much larger Trump donor, Plummer said.
The itinerary for the president's trip to Los Angeles was kept secret until the last minute. Plummer said the law enforcement officials she spoke to didn't receive details on the president's L.A. schedule until late, which is unusual.
We've had many presidents come to California, of course, in the past. There's always tight security, but from folks I talked with, this was really a different situation. I think security was extra tight with the concern of bringing President Trump to California, a state [where] the political leaders here have really set themselves as 'the resistance' to President Trump.
The president was also kept away from the crowds, Plummer said, which led to confusion and frustration from residents who felt uninformed about the impacts of Trump's visit like road closures.