Trump biden inauguration president

Outgoing US President Donald Trump waves as he boards Marine One at the White House in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2021. – President Trump travels his Mar-a-Lago golf club residence in Palm Beach, Florida, and will not attend the inauguration for President-elect Joe Biden. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP)

Watch: ‘We will be back, in some form’: Trump’s last words as President

Could Donald Trump’s last words as president set the base for his next move? Ahead of Biden’s inauguration, the outgoing POTUS has a message of his own.

Trump biden inauguration president

Outgoing US President Donald Trump waves as he boards Marine One at the White House in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2021. – President Trump travels his Mar-a-Lago golf club residence in Palm Beach, Florida, and will not attend the inauguration for President-elect Joe Biden. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP)

US President Donald Trump left the White House for the final time on Wednesday, heading by helicopter to a nearby military base where he will fly to Florida, skipping the inauguration of successor Joe Biden in an extraordinary break with tradition. In brief remarks to reporters, Trump said it had been an “amazing four years” and the “honor of a lifetime.”

“I just want to say goodbye,” he told a modest crowd on Wednesday.

Watch: Donald Trump’s last words as president

Trump, 74, and First Lady Melania Trump walked a short red carpet and boarded Marine One on the White House lawn on a sunny but chilly day in Washington for the short flight to Joint Base Andrews, where he will board Air Force One.

“This is a great country. It was a privilege to be president… I will always fight for you, I will be watching and listening, and the future of this country has never been better. I wish the new administration great success, they have the foundation to do something spectacular. Despite the worst plague in 100 years, we’ve done incredible things.”

“Goodbye. We love you. We will be back in some form. And again, I want to thank our Vice President Mike Pence, I want to thank certain elements of Congress, and I’d like to thank the people of Washington DC. Have a good life. We’ll see you soon.”

Donald Trump

What time is Joe Biden’s inauguration?

Trump will be at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida when Biden is sworn in at noon (17:00 GMT, 19:00 SAST) as the 46th president of the United States. A more elaborate departure ceremony is planned at Joint Base Andrews including a 21-gun salute and remarks by the outgoing president, the first to skip the inauguration of his successor in more than 150 years.

Trump repeatedly and falsely claimed that he won the November 3 presidential election and his supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6 in a bid to disrupt the certification by Congress of Biden’s victory.

[Additional reporting from AFP]