President Trump returns to Palm Beach as midterm elections approach

President Donald Trump returned to Palm Beach on Friday for his first trip of the season to Mar-a-Lago, bringing the heightened security and traffic impacts that accompany presidential visits as the country moves closer to the 2026 midterm elections.

WATCH BELOW: President Trump returns to Mar-a-Lago as election nears

Trump arrived in South Florida after campaigning Friday in Dalton, Georgia, where he rallied alongside Republican candidates as the party works to turn out voters ahead of Election Day.

WPTV saw supporters lining the route toward Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate as his motorcade traveled through Palm Beach.

Among them was the Campbell family, who had traveled from South Carolina for a baseball tournament.

"I wasn't expecting this on my bingo card. I thought we were playing baseball," one member of the Campbell family told WPTV. "But I'm glad we get to see this."

Trump's arrival came directly after his campaign stop at Dalton Municipal Airport in Georgia, where he appeared with Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Collins and gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson.

The Georgia Senate race has become a significant midterm battleground. Recent polling has shown Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff leading Collins.

Trump stressed the importance of turnout during his remarks.

"When I'm not on the ballot, I guess it's a compliment, but people don't show up so much," Trump said. "So this is, really, I think the most important midterm election I think we've ever had."

The president also told supporters in Dalton that they should "pretend I'm on the ballot" as he sought to boost Republican enthusiasm.

Back in Palm Beach, security was heightened around the island ahead of Trump's arrival.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw recently told WPTV's Michael Hoffman that the county received an exemption allowing license plate reader cameras to remain on state roads as an additional layer of presidential protection.

"We filed a brief with the Department of Highway Safety up there in Tallahassee that, along with the Secret Service, and says, 'Hey, this is why we can't take them down,' and they granted us that exemption," Bradshaw said.

Trump was expected to travel to Kentucky on Saturday before returning to Palm Beach later in the day, according to information provided to WPTV.

Those movements are expected to bring additional closures and traffic impacts as the presidential motorcade travels through the area.

Trump is expected to leave South Florida and return to the White House on Sunday.