Trump hints at possible comeback as he leaves

DONALD Trump hinted at a comeback as he said farewell to Washington while breaking tradition to avoid the inauguration ceremony of new US President Joe Biden.

“So just a goodbye. We love you,” Mr Trump told supporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland where he walked across a red carpet and boarded Air Force One to head to Florida. “We will be back in some form.”

Mr Trump departed office as the only president ever impeached twice, and with millions more out of work than when he was sworn in and 400,000 dead from the coronavirus.

Under his watch, Republicans lost the presidency and both chambers of Congress. He will be forever remembered for inciting an insurrection at the Capitol that left five dead, including a Capitol police officer, just two weeks before Democrat Joe Biden moved into the White House.

It was on Mr Trump’s Inauguration Day, on January 20, 2017, that he had painted a dire picture of “American carnage”.

Mr Trump, who became the first president in modern history to boycott his successor’s inauguration, is still stewing about his loss and maintains that the election won by Mr Biden was stolen from him.

Republican officials in several critical states, members of his own administration and a wide swath of judges, including those appointed by Mr Trump, have rejected those arguments.

Mr Trump refused to participate in any of the symbolic passing-of-the-torch traditions surrounding the peaceful transition of power, including inviting Joe and Jill Biden to the White House for a get-to-know-you visit.

He did follow at least one tradition: The White House said Mr Trump left behind a note for Mr Biden. A spokesman for Mr Trump declined to say what Mr Trump wrote or characterise the sentiment in the note, citing privacy for communication between presidents.

Members of Mr Trump’s family gathered for the sendoff on the military base along with the president’s loyalists.

Speaking without notes, Mr Trump said his presidency was an “incredible four years”. He told the crowd he and his wife, Melania, loved them and praised his family for its hard work,