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Trump leaves White House, skipping Biden inauguration
WASHINGTON, Jan 20, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – US President Donald Trump left the
White House for the final time on Wednesday, heading by helicopter to a
nearby military base where he will fly to Florida, skipping the inauguration
of successor Joe Biden in an extraordinary break with tradition.
Trump, 74, and First Lady Melania Trump walked a short red carpet and
boarded Marine One on the White House lawn on a sunny but chilly day in
Washington for the short flight to Joint Base Andrews, where he will board
Air Force One.
In brief remarks to reporters, Trump said it had been an “amazing four
years” and the “honor of a lifetime.”
“I just want to say goodbye,” he said.
Trump will be at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida when Biden is sworn in
at noon (1700 GMT) as the 46th president of the United States.
A more elaborate departure ceremony is planned at Joint Base Andrews
including a 21-gun salute and remarks by the outgoing president, the first to
skip the inauguration of his successor in more than 150 years.
Trump repeatedly and falsely claimed that he won the November 3
presidential election and his supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6
in a bid to disrupt the certification by Congress of Biden’s victory.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1946 hrs