Donald Trump left the White House for the final time as president Wednesday morning, snubbing President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration as he officially ended a term as president of the most powerful country in the world.
Trump boarded Marine One at the White House with plans to depart the nation’s capital using Air Force One — while he still can — to travel to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida before Biden was to be sworn in at noon. He’s scheduled to land in West Palm Beach at 11 a.m., with just one hour left in his presidency.
The White House planned to hold a military-style sendoff for Trump at Maryland’s Joint Base Andrews later on Wednesday morning, featuring a military band and a red carpet lined with military personnel. Guests could reportedly bring up to five other people.
But the country’s top Republicans said Tuesday that they would skip Trump’s departure ceremony in favor of attending inaugural activities with Biden. Vice President Mike Pence was not expected to attend the sendoff and planned to be at Biden’s inauguration — the latest sign that Trump’s relationship with one of his most loyal allies had soured.
Details soon