Trump says he likes to 'leave a tip' at hotels after photos emerge of $20 bills coming out of his back pocket
President Donald Trump said that he never carries a wallet but likes to have a little money with him so that he can "leave a tip" at hotels after pictures emerged of $20 bills coming out of his back pocket. The notes were visible in the president's backpocket when he boarded Air Force One on Tuesday, in Mountain View, California.
When a reporter asked him about the notes, the president said: "I don't carry a wallet because I haven't had to use a credit card in a long time. I do like leaving tips to the hotel. I like to carry a little something. I like to give tips to the hotel. I'm telling you, maybe a president's not supposed to do it, but I like to leave a tip for the hotel."
When he was asked if he uses the cash personally, Trump replied with: "I haven't used it in a long time" while taking out the money from his pocket. The $20 bills became visible after the wind lifted Trump's suit jacket while he was climbing onto the plane. The president, however, appeared impressed with the pictures taken by a Reuters photographer, saying the reporters had "good cameras" and added: "I'd like a piece of that picture."
Trump spent two days in California this week to raise funds for his 2020 campaign and visited a section of his Mexican border wall in San Diego on Wednesday. He spoke about the height, design and the concrete-pouring procedure for the wall during his visit. After he was finished speaking, a female construction worker told him: "Mr. President, there's a tradition here on the border that anyone who works on the wall signs the wall for us."
Trump then used a Sharpie to sign his name onto the wall and later, while addressing reporters, said: "I autographed one of the bollards. There are a lot of bollards. That's a lot of bollards. We had a good trip. A really good trip. I hope you see the wall is what it is. It's a great structure and it'll really do the trick."
The reporters' cameras also captured the details of the president's notes for the event, where "Mexico" was listed as his top talking point, and the second line appeared to say "WAL" in all capital letters, presumably meaning the border wall.