- President Donald Trump wants to leave Washington, DC, before President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated on Wednesday, CNN reports.
- His goal is to prevent the White House from being ousted as a former president, CNN said. It also suggested that Trump did not want to ask Biden if he could borrow Air Force One.
- Biden is sworn in around 12:00 on Wednesday amid heightened security presence by the riot at the U.S. Capitol.
- Trump plans to fly to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to begin his post-presidential life, Bloomberg reported Thursday.
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President Donald Trump wants to leave Washington, DC, before the inauguration of President Joe Biden, because he does not want to act as former president or borrow Air Force One, CNN reported on Friday.
Biden will be inaugurated on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday amid an increased security presence sparked by the Jan. 6 attack on the complex by Trump supporters.
Trump said on January 8 that he would not attend the inauguration, making him the first departing president to refuse to attend his successor’s ceremony since 1869.
Instead, CNN said, Trump will leave the White House before noon. His team is working to gather a large crowd to make him wave, the network said.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request from Insider for comment on the president’s plans.
According to CNN, Trump plans to leave the White House for the last time as president in Marine One of the South Lawn and is hoping for a military-style tribute. The network quoted an unnamed source who spoke to Trump about the plan.
Joe Biden and Trump.
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Trump has not officially confirmed his destination. At one point, he allegedly moved to Scotland, where he owns several golf courses. However, the Scottish Government has made it clear that he would not be welcome, citing the strict closure of the coronavirus.
Bloomberg reported Thursday that he would travel to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
According to CNN, Trump ruled out attending Biden’s inauguration, though allies told him it was a good idea to go. Trump refused on the grounds that he did not want to leave Washington, DC as former president, the network said.
Trump was also reluctant to ask Biden if he could borrow Air Force One, the president’s official plane, CNN said, citing a source.
Although Trump is leaving Washington and the presidency on Wednesday, he still has to travel with the ‘nuclear football’, a 20-pound briefcase that presidents take everywhere, until Biden is sworn in.
To account for this, the White House military office has made a second device that will remain in Washington, DC, for the use of Biden, CNN said. At the time of the switch, Trump’s codes will be deactivated.
Read more: Joe Biden hires about 4,000 political staff members to work in his administration. Here’s how three experts say you can increase your chances of getting one of these jobs.
Since losing the election in November, Trump has focused on challenging the result without success.
Trump in Washington, DC, in December.
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In his last days in office, Trump is said to be concerned about his legacy and the consequences after the House of Representatives charged him with a charge of ‘incitement to rebellion’.
Trump is also concerned about the legal issues he faces when he is no longer protected by presidential immunity, according to several reports.
Prosecutors in New York and Washington, DC, are investigating Trump and his organization.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is investigating the Trump organization’s financial operations, and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. is investigating Trump and the Trump organization over allegations of banking and insurance fraud. .