Trump leaves Washington in final hours as president, travels to Florida

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump arrived in Florida just before 11 a.m. on Wednesday, with an hour remaining in his presidency, as he chose not to take the oath and retire to his residence on the coast.

Air Force One buzzed Mar-a-Lago shortly before landing. Trump left Washington in the morning, delivering a departure speech to supporters of Joint Base Andrews, then boarded Air Force One as president one final time.

“It is my greatest honor and my greatest privilege to have been your President,” he said to applause. “I wish the new administration the best of luck and success, and I think it will be very successful. It has the foundation to do something really spectacular.”

The tone was a change from previous weeks, in which Trump continued to insist without proof that he had not lost the election, an insistence that resulted in a mob of his supporters attacking the Capitol in an attempt to ‘prevent the election of President-elect Joe Biden from becoming official.

In its likely final acts, the White House announced that Trump had approved the lifting of certain tariffs on aluminum in the United Arab Emirates. He also granted a pardon to Albert J. Pirro, Jr., the ex-husband of Fox News host Jeanine Pirro and one of Trump’s former real estate attorneys who was convicted of tax evasion ago. over 20 years.

Breaking decades of tradition, Trump will not participate in the peaceful transition of power and skip the inauguration. He opted for a rally-like setup on the military airfield, with large speakers blasting his campaign playlist, US flags and several hundred supporters gathered.

He did not mention Biden by name in his remarks, instead urging his supporters to credit him for his future economic and coronavirus victories.

“You’re going to see amazing things happen. And remember us when you see these things happen, if you will,” Trump said.

Trump’s brief speech diverged from the prepared words assistants distributed before the dispatch. His remarks were improvised and in a somewhat dark tone. Trump touted a few elements of his presidential legacy, including Space Force and judicial confirmation, and said his team had “left everything, as the athletes would say, we left everything on the field.”

He thanked his family, Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, and hinted at his own political future.

“We will come back in one form or another,” he said.

The outgoing president usually departs soon after the incoming president is sworn in, aboard a special government air mission aircraft. But Trump, who fought relentlessly to overturn the 2020 election results, chose to orchestrate a fanfare-filled alternate sortie while still commander-in-chief and flew Air Force One en route. to his home in Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. , Florida.

“Good life. We’ll see you soon,” Trump said. His plane left to the sound of “My Way” by Frank Sinatra.

There were a number of notable absences during the dispatch: Pence did not come, as well as several former senior assistants who were invited. A White House official and a source familiar with the matter told NBC News on Tuesday that it was not logistically possible for Pence to attend the dispatch as well as the unveiling.

The President’s last days have been unusually quiet. Forbidden to post on social media accounts, Trump and his frequent missives – which often upset government affairs – were absent. His last public event before Wednesday’s departure from the White House was a week ago, when he traveled to the US-Mexico border to boast about the construction of its border wall.

Pence took on many of the traditional duties reserved for the outgoing Commander-in-Chief, such as thanking the troops at Fort Drum over the weekend. He will continue this ceremonial role at the inauguration on Wednesday.

Trump did, however, leave a note for Biden in the White House, a long-standing tradition of outgoing presidents, White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere confirmed to NBC News, although the contents of that note did not been made public.

Elsewhere at the White House, staff and movers are finalizing the residence and west wing transition, packing and sanitizing, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, ahead of the arrival of the Biden administration shortly afternoon.