Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Then-President Donald Trump departs the White House early Wednesday on his way to Florida. He promised he’d be back “in some form.”
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 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 21gun 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. He also refused to participate in many other symbolic passing-of-the-torch traditions surrounding the peaceful transition of power — though he did leave behind a note for Biden. Biden declined to say what Trump had written, but described it as a “very generous letter.”
Trump has maintained that the election Biden won was stolen from him, even though Republican officials in several critical states, members of his own administration and a wide swath of judges, including those appointed by Trump, have rejected those arguments.
After painting a dire picture of “American carnage” on his Inauguration Day in 2017, Trump departed Wednesday as the only president ever to be impeached twice. 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.”
Aides had urged Trump to spend his final days in office trying to salvage his legacy by highlighting his administration’s achievements. But Trump largely refused, taking a single trip to the Texas border and releasing a video in which he pledged to his supporters that “the movement we started is only just beginning.”
Just before midnight, Trump signed a flurry of pardons and commutations for more than 140 people, including his former chief strategist, rap performers and ex-members of Congress.
The televisions aboard Air Force One were tuned to Fox News, airing Biden’s inauguration ceremony, as Trump and his family took their final flight aboard the presidential aircraft. To mark the occasion, crew members announced that the plane would fly low over Mar-aLago, descending as the Florida coastline came into view.
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. People waved Trump and American flags, held signs that read, “THANK YOU” and “TRUMP WON!”
“We love you,” they chanted as he drove by. He mouthed “I love you” back and raised his fist.
Trump will be joined in Florida by a small group of former aides as he charts a political future that looks very different now from just two weeks ago.
On Wednesday, Trump made clear that he has no intention of disappearing.
“Have a good life,” he said in his final words as president. “We will see you soon!”