Trump bids farewell to DC
Donald Trump bid farewell to Washington Wednesday morning, but also hinted at a comeback despite leaving
a legacy of chaos and bitter division.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — His presidency over, Donald Trump bid farewell to Washington on Wednesday but also hinted at a comeback despite a legacy of chaos, tumult and bitter division in the country he led for four years.
“Goodbye. We love you. We will be back in some form,” Trump told supporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where he received a 21-gun salute as part of a military send-off before boarding Air Force One for his last time as president.
Trump was already in Florida, at his private Mar-aLago club in Palm Beach, by the time Joe Biden was sworn in just before noon as the 46th president of the United States.
After painting a dire picture of “American carnage” on his own Inauguration Dayin 2017, Trump departed Wednesday as the only president ever to be impeached twice, with millions more out of work than when he was sworn in and more than 400,000 dead fromthe coronavirus. Under his watch, Republicans lost the presidency and both chambers of Congress.
Trump orchestrated an elaborate farewell that included a red carpet and color guard, as well as his usual campaign soundtrack. Members of his family were visibly emotional during the program at the base.
Speaking without notes, Trump told several hundred supporters that it had been his “great honor and privilege” to serve as president.
He acknowledged that his was not a “regular administration.”
Without mentioning Biden by name, Trump wished the new administration great luck and success, which he said would be made easier because he had laid “a foundation.”
Before arriving at the airport, Trump had told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House that being president had been the honor of his lifetime.
“It has been something very special,” he said over the sound of the Marine One helicopter. “And I just want to say goodbye, but hopefully it’s not a long-term goodbye.
We’ll see each other again.”
Unlike in Washington, where his presence was largely scorned, Trump was welcomed to his new home by several hundred supporters who lined his Secret Service motorcade route.
The homecoming had a party atmosphere, with many backers dressed in red, white and blue. They waved Trump and American flags, held signs that read, “THANK YOU” and “TRUMP WON!” and appeared emotional as his SUV-crawled past them.
“We love you,” they chanted as he drove by.
He mouthed “I love you” back and raised his fist.
Before the Capitol riot he incited, Trump had been expected to remain his party’s de facto leader, wielding enormous political influence while mulling a 2024 presidential run. He now appears more powerless than ever — denied the Twitter bullhorn he had intended to use as his weapon and even facing the prospect that, if he is convicted in his Senate trial, he could be barred from seeking a second term.