Trump supporters 'welcome home' former president to Mar-a-Lago
US President Donald Trump supporters wait for the motorcade to pass by on their way to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 20, 2021. (Photo by Eva Marie UZCATEGUI / AFP) (Photo by EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI/AFP via Getty Images)
NEW YORK - Outgoing President Donald Trump arrived in Florida Wednesday afternoon after leaving the White House for the last time as President of the United States.
The former president left the nation's capital on Wednesday morning ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. He is the first president to skip his successor’s inauguration in more than a century. Andrew Johnson, the first president to be impeached, skipped the inauguration of Ulysses S. Grant in 1869.
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Accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, the then president departed the White House shortly after 8 a.m. ET. He told the press pool waiting by the White House lawn that being president has been the honor of his lifetime.
The Trumps waved as they boarded Marine One for the final time and took a flight over the capital city that is already staged for Wednesday’s inauguration.
They landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where Air Force One was waiting to carry them to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
Four U.S. Army cannons greeted the Trumps with a 21-gun salute before Trump delivered final remarks to a small batch of supporters.
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President Trump is expected to live at his Mar-a-Lago resort in South Florida now, moving as Biden is inaugurated. Moving trucks were spotted there on Monday.
Waiting for him in Mar-a-Lago was a line of supporters, holding signs like "welcome home" and "Pres Trump won."
US President Donald Trump supporters wait for the motorcade to pass by on their way to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 20, 2021. (Photo by Eva Marie UZCATEGUI / AFP) (Photo by EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI/AFP via Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump supporters paint signs as they wait for the motorcade to pass by on their way to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 20, 2021. (Photo by Eva Marie UZCATEGUI / AFP) (Photo by EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI/AFP via Getty Images
US President Donald Trump supporters wait for the motorcade to pass by on their way to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 20, 2021. (Photo by Eva Marie UZCATEGUI / AFP) (Photo by EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI/AFP via Getty Images)
According to a reporter at the scene, President Trump has arrived.