We now know when—and how—Donald Trump, the soon-to-be-former President, will leave DC. He is planning to depart on Wednesday morning well before Joe Biden is sworn in, a senior administration official tells the Washington Post. In typical Trump style, his exit will be marked by some sort of military ceremony, according to the official. And then he will be gone.
As with so many things related to Trump, his last moments in office will be unusual ones. Typically, outgoing Presidents attend the Inauguration of their successors, which Trump will not be doing (although Vice President Mike Pence is expected to be there). Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton all left following the ceremony and were seen off by the new President.
CNN’s Jim Acosta reports that Trump’s departure ceremony will take place at Joint Base Andrews and will resemble such events following state visits by foreign dignitaries. After he leaves town, Trump plans to take up residence at his Mar-a-Lago resort in West Palm Beach, Fla., Bloomberg reports. The White House, meanwhile, will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.
Here’s what it looked like when Barack and Michelle Obama left office four years ago after Trump’s Inauguration—quite a different scene than the one that’s likely to unfold on Wednesday, with the country ravaged by a pandemic, Washington on lockdown following a deadly pro-Trump insurrection, and sitting President refusing to accept the results of the election that has sent him packing.