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Donald Trump announced plans for an alternative presidential dispatch on the same day as Joe Biden’s inauguration.
The outgoing president issued invitations to an event taking place at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland at 8 a.m. on Wednesday – four hours before Biden will be sworn in in Washington DC.
Details of the ceremony are not yet clear, although attendees have been advised to arrive before 7.15am. According to some reports, a 21-gun salute is under consideration, and officials are considering an elaborate event that would feel like a state visit. Trump will then fly to Mar-a-Lago in his final Air Force One use before the plane becomes regular Biden’s disposal.
Invitations to the event have been distributed to Trump supporters, former administration officials and other backers. A small group of White House employees will see Trump from the White House earlier in the morning on his trip to Joint Base Andrews.
Strict security arrangements in place for the inauguration, following the January 6 violence in Washington by a pro-Trump mob, limited the number of people who can attend.
Trump’s invitation to dispatch specifies that masks must be worn and that attendees are allowed to bring up to five guests. Late last year, Trump was criticized for hosting a series of events inside and outside the White House where social distancing and mask-wearing guidelines were not enforced, leading to several high-profile Covid cases, with gatherings described as “super-widespread” events. .
By refusing to attend Biden’s inauguration, Trump becomes the first president in a century to choose not to attend for his successor to take the presidential oath, marking the peaceful transfer of power. In 2017, Barack and Michelle Obama welcomed Donald and Melania Trump to the White House on the morning of the opening. Vice President Mike Pence is expected to be present.
Trump ends his term with the lowest approval rating of his presidency. Poll for CNN on the weekend had its rating at 34%. His performance rating among Republicans also fell, down 14 points since October, to 80%.
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