I’ll be back, Trump tells faithful as he jets off
Outgoing president bids farewell alongside his emotional family as he heads for Florida sunshine
DONALD TRUMP vowed to “be back in some form” in his final speech as US president before jetting off to his golf resort in Florida, drawing the curtain on his four tumultuous years in office.
Addressing a crowd of chanting and cheering supporters gathered at a military airport for his last Air Force One flight, Mr Trump did not mention his successor Joe Biden by name.
He did offer “great luck and great success” to the next administration, but repeatedly stressed he was handing over a thriving country. There was no explicit admittance of election defeat.
“So just a goodbye, we love you, we will be back in some form,” Mr Trump said at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, hinting he still has political ambitions, despite leaving office.
During the speech, there were chants of “USA! USA!” and “Thank you, Trump! Thank you, Trump!” from the supporters who had braved the early morning cold to say goodbye.
Several of Mr Trump’s children, who were there to greet him, appeared emotional at the farewell, with his daughter, Ivanka, seeming to briefly tear up.
Mr Trump, who became the first sitting US president to snub his successor’s inauguration for 152 years, began his exit from the White House a little late yesterday morning.
At close to 8.15am, some 15 minutes after he was scheduled to leave, Mr Trump walked out of the White House one last time along a short red carpet beside his wife, Melania. The outgoing US president briefly talked to a huddle of people behind a rope nearby before striding hand in hand with his wife across the south lawn to Marine One, the presidential helicopter.
The short flight to Joint Base Andrews, in a clear crisp January sky, was carried live by cable news networks. When it touched down, Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ was playing.
The venue was decked out like one of Mr Trump’s trademark outdoor rallies, with pop hits being played at high volume and Air Force One the backdrop, but far fewer than the usual thousands of supporters were present.
Among those absent were Mike Pence, the vice-president who instead attended Mr Biden’s inauguration, and a number of former senior Trump staff who turned down invitations.
“Thank you very much,” Mr Trump said as he and Mrs Trump took to the stage to chants of “we love you”. Moments earlier, Hail To The Chief had played and a gun salute rang out.
“This has been an incredible four years. We’ve accomplished so much together,” Mr Trump said, starting a 10-minute speech, which for the most part touted what he sees as his achievements in office. There were thank-yous for Mr Pence, with whom he dramatically fell out two weeks ago over storming of the US Capitol, and his chief of staff, Mark Meadows.
Mr Trump said he had worked well with Congress – despite twice being impeached by a Democratic House of Representatives – and stressed the hard work his team had put in.
“As the athletes would say, we’ve left it all on the field,” he remarked. The final line of his speech was, “so, have a good life, we will see you soon”. YMCA started playing. Then Mr and Mrs Trump walked to the door of Air Force One, turned to wave, and disappeared inside.
By the time the couple landed at Mara-lago in Florida, Mrs Trump had changed into a navy and orange kaftan, ready to settle into her new life.