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Trump skipped the traditional farewell address to the nation, press conference, and television interviews designed to serve as the crowning glory of his tenure. He left a handwritten note for Biden at the Resolute Desk at the urging of people around him, including Republican leader Kevin McCarthy – about the one custom he followed.
But just as Trump took office in his own way, he also left on his own terms. The outgoing President hosted his own ceremony at Andrews Air Force Base. In the process, his team urged former officials – including rejected former White House aides like John Kelly, John Bolton and Omarosa Manigault-Newman – to attend in hopes of producing a big departure.
But it was a far cry from that. Only several hundred staunch supporters showed up to watch the president’s departure. Assistants Mark Meadows, Stephen Miller and Kash Patel were there. Just like the substitute Sebastian Gorka. Vice President Mike Pence and the GOP leaders in Congress were not. Nor does the president of the Republican National Committee, Ronna McDaniel, who is still recovering from an operation. Those who came stood in a chilly breeze as the Trump campaign playlist – from “Macho Man” to “Tiny Dancer” – blared through the speakers. A military orchestra performed as Trump descended from Marine One and walked a red carpet to make his stage fortune.
“We weren’t a regular administration,” Trump said, in what was one of the truest testimonies offered during the day.
“It was something very special,” he told the crowd. “And I just want to say goodbye, but I hope it’s not a long-term goodbye.”
The duration of this goodbye now depends on a multitude of factors, many of which are beyond Trump’s control. He has yet to put together a defense team for his Senate impeachment trial, which could bar him from running for future office. He has no clear path to regain his prominence on social media after the biggest platforms give him the blow. And while he will have a dozen or so staff, including a small political operation, with him in his Florida estate, there is no clear indication yet on what he will actually do.
On Wednesday, aboard Air Force One, only a small coterie of aides, including Trump’s senior campaign adviser Jason Miller, political director Brian Jack and social media director Dan Scavino, accompanied Trump and his family. . Some have taken the flight as a one-way ticket to their new jobs: Margo Martin, a newspaper editor, will handle communications for Trump in Palm Beach; Molly Michael will continue to be Trump’s assistant; and Beau Harrison should run the operations. Their salaries, said an aide, will be paid by the General Service Administration, which covers support for former presidents.
Although Trump is no longer the presidency, he has his fans. Trump’s family, donors, and loyal friends on Thursday stand ready to host a welcome home lunch for him at his Mar-a-Lago club. And when When it arrived in Florida, around 400 hardcore gathered along Southern Boulevard in Palm Beach awaiting what was in essence the Trump Presidency’s last MAGA rally. They came with their Keep America Great flags and their Women for Trump and Trump-Pence shirts, many with Pence scratched to protest his decision to certify the Electoral College results. A pink sign congratulating Tiffany Trump on her engagement was also spotted by reporters.
Trump’s motorcade slowly maneuvered the roads leading to his club, “presumably,” the pool report noted, “so POTUS could receive support and salute.
Paul Amirata, a 52-year-old insurance lawyer, said Trump gave him a thumbs up after seeing his hand-made sign: “On the 8th day God created Donald Trump.” Like most of the hundreds of supporters who gathered to greet his latest procession, Amirata believes Trump was betrayed by virus creators in China, the fake news media, Big Tech, the vote-rigged Democrats, the disloyal republicans and an almighty deep state.
“The fix was in place, and that’s why we see it on Southern Boulevard in Palm Beach instead of the Oath in Washington,” Amirata said.
Cynthia Potenza Taylor, a Christian activist who makes nurseries, cried all morning at the prospect that Trump was no longer in charge. Although she initially hoped Pence or the Supreme Court would overturn the election results, she said she now accepts the election results as part of God’s plan and that good Christians still have to fight harder.
“We are in a battle and God is always on our side,” she said.
Just weeks ago, Trump’s aides and allies urged Trump to attend Biden’s inauguration to show the world that the United States can engage in a peaceful transfer of power. But after a two-month crusade to overthrow the election that ended in riots that left five dead and Washington on edge, even his own advisers seemed relieved not to have to deal with the issues after another Trump outburst. .
The uncrowded inauguration may not have had Trump’s presence, but it included members of Congress from both parties, including the part of the Republican Party that never took Trump.
Former House Speaker Paul Ryan said Trump’s decision not to attend the inauguration was “kind of a shame” but called Pence, a longtime friend, an “honorable man” for his presence. “I wanted to come and pay tribute to the institution and the peaceful transfer of power,” added Ryan. “I felt compelled to come and pay tribute to the process.”
Former Arizona Senator Jeff Flake also said Trump should have been present, but “given everything I’m not surprised.”
Even Representative Jim Jordan, one of Trump’s greatest allies on Capitol Hill, attended the inauguration – his fourth – a day after his visit to the White House to thank Trump for his service.
“I just went to say goodbye and say thank you,” Jordan said. “I hope he’s running again. I think he did a great job.
Although Jordan may wish, allies say Trump is unlikely to run for office again after the events of the past two weeks. He has spoken of starting a new political party, investing in his own conservative network, or simply traveling the country to organize his MAGA rallies.
He burned down many bridges on his way out and broke even more standards. Trump has never spoken to his successor, although Biden stayed right across from the White House last night in the presidential Blair House guesthouse. Outgoing first lady Melania Trump also did not offer Jill Biden the traditional White House tour.
While Trump’s political future is uncertain, so is his life outside of politics. In the White House, Trump was largely shielded from criminal charges, given a long-standing Justice Department precedent of not indicting a sitting president. Now he will have to tackle a series of investigations that could directly implicate him.
The New York attorney general’s office is investigating whether Trump and his company falsely reported assets in financial statements used to seek loans, tax breaks and economic benefits. And Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance is still examining Trump’s benefits for two women to keep them silent during the 2016 campaign on extramarital affairs with Trump. Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen has previously been jailed for the payments, which violated campaign finance law. Trump himself was involved in the scheme, with prosecutors saying he ordered Cohen to make the silent payments.
“He is more in danger of finding himself in serious legal difficulties than any other president who has ever served from afar,” said presidential historian Michael Beschloss.
Daniel Lippman contributed to this report.
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