Trump takes break from campaign trail to attend hotel's opening

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures as he arrives to speak to a campaign rally, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016, in Sanford, Fla. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures as he arrives to speak to a campaign rally, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016, in Sanford, Fla. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

Donald Trump took a break from the campaign trail Wednesday to attend the grand opening of his company's new Washington hotel.

He summoned the press and invited guests to the Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C. at the Old Post Office building. It's just blocks from the White House.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Trump adviser, dismissed the idea that the stop is a distraction from the campaign.

He said that Trump has "got to make the case that he brings in things under budget and ahead of schedule. And a Trump government will be under budget and ahead of schedule."

Trump said he appeared at the ceremony "to be there" for his family — and will resume campaigning right afterward.

The Republican presidential nominee received criticism for taking hours out of his campaign schedule Wednesday to attend the opening. Less than two weeks remain before Election Day.

He said that "with the notable exception of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, this is the most coveted piece of real estate in Washington, DC."

He claimed that his ability to deliver the hotel to under budget and ahead of schedule captures his pitch to the country and makes him the choice to revive the "broken" federal government.

Meanwhile, in an interview that aired Wednesday, Hillary Clinton says she would be "incredibly humbled and honored" to be the America's first female president. But she said people are still trying to figure out what that would mean for the country.

The Democratic presidential nominee said that "most people are OK with" having a woman in the White House but "some people are still having questions about it." She was interviewed on The Breakfast Club, a syndicated radio show based in New York.

Clinton said that while President Barack Obama was the first black president, he "owned his excellence."

She said she hopes if she gets elected, people will say, "Hey, she's getting it done."

Clinton was campaigning in Florida on Wednesday with less than two weeks to go before Election Day.

Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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