U.S. President Donald Trump has decided to skip the inauguration of his successor, Joe Biden, on Jan. 20 at the U.S. Capitol.
Photographer: Samuel Corum / Bloomberg
Photographer: Samuel Corum / Bloomberg
White House officials are planning a farewell ceremony for Donald Trump as he leaves Washington Wednesday morning for the last time as president, according to a copy of the invitation that saw Bloomberg News.
The event is scheduled for 8 a.m. at Andrews Joint Base, just outside the country’s capital, where the outgoing president will leave aboard Air Force One for Florida. Invitations have been distributed to supporters, including former administration officials and other sponsors, to ask them to arrive at 7:15 p.m.
Trump has decided to skip the inauguration of his successor, Joe Biden, on January 20 at the U.S. Capitol, becoming the first living U.S. president in more than a century to choose not to attend the regular exchange of power. Trump, on the other hand, will be at his Mar-a-Lago resort as the incoming president will swear this afternoon at noon.
A White House spokesman declined to comment.
Some White House aides will be in the South Lawn for the departure of the presidential helicopter with Trump on board, although attendance will be limited. Strict security measures throughout downtown Washington and especially near the White House will make it difficult for guests outside the campus to access.
Trump’s decision not to attend the inauguration was announced on Jan. 8 by the president, two days after a crowd of his loyalists stormed the Capitol in a riot that left five people dead. An unprecedented security cordon now surrounds the heart of the nation’s capital in the wake of this attack.