Trump to leave DC on Inauguration Day
By the time Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th US president Wednesday, his scandal-tainted predecessor Donald Trump will already be far away, having helicoptered out of the White House a last time earlier that morning, an official has said.
Trump will be the first president in a century and a half to snub the inauguration of his successor.
An official who asked not to be identified said Trump would go to his Mar-a-Lago golf club in Florida, which is his legal residence and will become home after the White House.
He is expected to be out of town well before Biden is sworn in on the steps of the Capitol building at exactly noon.
After spending more than two months trying to overturn the results of the November election, pushing false conspiracy theories about fraud, Trump's presence had not been expected at the inauguration.
The final straw came on January 6 when Trump gathered a huge crowd of supporters on the National Mall and once more claimed that they had to fight to stop a fraudulent election. A mob then stormed Congress, halting proceedings underway to certify Biden's win.
For longer than anyone can remember, outgoing presidents have stood by their replacement on the Capitol steps, watching them take the oath -- and in so doing showing visible support for the peaceful transfer of power.
Trump, who was impeached for a record second time in the wake of the Congress storming, has also broken with more discreet protocol by refusing to invite Biden and his wife Jill Biden to the White House for a traditional cup of tea in the Oval Office.
On Friday, Vice President Mike Pence did make the gesture of telephoning his incoming counterpart Kamala Harris, a source said.
Although this came only five days before inauguration day -- and more than two months after the election -- The New York Times said Pence offered his congratulations and belated assistance to Harris, describing the exchange as "gracious and pleasant."
Trump's extraordinary exit adds to the nervous atmosphere around an inauguration that was already set to be like no other.
In the wake of the Congress attack, thousands of National Guard troops have taken up position around central Washington.
On Friday, the National Park Service said the National Mall in downtown Washington will be closed because of security concerns until after Wednesday's inauguration.
The Mall, which is normally packed with people every four years for presidential inaugurations, is being declared off-limits at the request of the Secret Service, which ensures the security of the president, the Park Service said.
Security officials have warned that armed extremist Trump supporters, possibly carrying explosives, pose a threat to Washington as well as state capitals over the coming week.
While Biden and Harris are to be sworn in at a public ceremony outside of the Capitol, most of the event is to be virtual and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser has appealed for people to stay home.
Meanwhile, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday said any members of the US Congress who helped a pro-Trump crowd to storm the Capitol should face criminal prosecution.
Democratic Representative Mikie Sherrill, a former US Navy helicopter pilot, has accused some Republican lawmakers of helping Trump supporters, saying she saw colleagues leading groups on "reconnaissance" tours on Jan 5.
The Capitol Police is investigating whether members of Congress led people through the Capitol the day before the attack. "The matter is under investigation," said Capitol Police spokeswoman Eva Malecki.
More than 30 House Democrats, including Sherrill, have asked the acting House and Senate sergeants-at-arms and the acting head of the Capitol Police for information about who was in the building on Jan 5.
Meanwhile, according to the Washington Post, a Capitol Police intelligence report warned on Jan 3 that Congress could be the target of violent protests by Trump supporters on Jan. 6.
The internal report does not appear to have been widely shared with other law enforcement agencies, the Post said. The Capitol Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
For Biden, the subdued ceremonies will quickly be followed by a mammoth To Do list. His administration faces multiple crises on day one, including the stumbling national Covid vaccination project, a precarious economic recovery and Trump's looming impeachment trial in the Senate.
At the same time, Biden will have to cajole the Senate into rapidly confirming his cabinet appointees, allowing him to form a government and bring stability back to the country.
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