◆ Trump hints at comeback, leaves letter for Biden.
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-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, by the time Joe Biden was sworn in just before noon as the 46th president of the United States.
Trump was the first president in modern history to boycott his successor’s inauguration as he continued to stew about his election loss — though he did leave a note for Biden. Biden declined to say what Trump had written, but described it as a “very generous letter.”
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 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. “And I just want to say goodbye, but hopefully it’s not a long-term goodbye. We’ll see each other again.”
Late Tuesday, Trump issued a flurry of clemency action that benefited more than 140 people, including pardons for former strategist Steve Bannon and rapper Lil Wayne and former California Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham. Trump also commuted sentences of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and rapper Kodak Black.
On Wednesday, as usual, the TVs on Air Force One were tuned to Fox News, airing Biden’s inauguration, as Trump and his family took their final flight aboard the presidential aircraft. To mark the occasion, crew members announced the plane would fly low over Mar-a-Lago.
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 visibly emotional.
“We love you,” they chanted as he drove by. He mouthed “I love you” and raised his fist.