Politics

Trump bids farewell to supporters at Joint Base Andrews ceremony

President Trump left the White House on Wednesday morning for the final time as president, describing the last four years as “the honor of a lifetime” and vowing to “be back in some form.”

Trump and First Lady Melania walked out of the White House shortly after 8:10 am, a few hours before the swearing in of Joe Biden to replace him, telling reporters the last four years has been “the honor of a lifetime” before boarding to Marine One with first lady Melania for the short ride to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where he was greeted around 8:30 am by hundreds of supporters.

“I will always fight for you. I will be watching, I will be listening. And I will tell you that the future of this country has never been better. I wish the new administration great luck and great success,” Trump told the crowd.

“I hope they don’t raise your taxes. But if they do, I told you so.”

“We love you. We’ll be back in some form,” he vowed and ran through his accomplishments in office, including creating the Space Force branch of the military, developing COVID-19 vaccines and confirming three Supreme Court judges.

“We created a new force called ‘Space Force’, that in itself would be a major achievement for a regular administration. We were not a regular administration,” he said.

“We did something that is really considered a medical miracle they’re calling it a miracle and that was the vaccine. We got the vaccine developed in nine months instead of nine years or five years or 10 years.

Earlier, Trump stopped briefly to talk to reporters on the White House lawn, Trump said, “I just want to say goodbye but hopefully it’s not a long-term goodbye” and defiantly pumped his fist as he boarded Marine One for a final time.

1 of 13
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania make their way to board Marine One.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania make their way to board Marine One.AFP via Getty Images
Donald Trump and First Lady Melania make their way to board Marine One before departing from the South Lawn of the White House
Donald Trump and First Lady Melania make their way to board Marine One before departing from the South Lawn of the White HouseAFP via Getty Images
Advertisement
President Donald Trump waves as he boards Marine One at the White House in Washington, DC.
President Donald Trump waves as he boards Marine One at the White House in Washington, DC.AFP via Getty Images
Marine One with US President Donald Trump onboard is seen leaving the White house before US president-elect Joe Biden is sworn in.
Marine One with US President Donald Trump onboard is seen leaving the White house before US president-elect Joe Biden is sworn in.POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Marine One carries President Donald Trump past the Trump International Hotel.
Marine One carries President Donald Trump past the Trump International Hotel.CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag
Advertisement
Marine One carries President Donald Trump past the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol.
Marine One carries President Donald Trump past the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol.CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump walk from Marine One at Joint Base Andrews.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump walk from Marine One at Joint Base Andrews.AFP via Getty Images
Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump wave as they board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews.
Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump wave as they board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews.AFP via Getty Images
Advertisement
Donald Trump and First Lady Melania are greeted by Ivanka Trump (2nd R), husband Jared Kushner (R), their children, Eric (C-R) and Donald Jr. (C-L), Tiffany Trump and other Trump family members.AFP via Getty Images
Advertisement

The commander in chief, sporting his signature red tie, walked out of the executive residence holding hands with the first lady, who was wearing a black dress, large sunglasses and heels.

At Joint Base Andrews, the Trumps were joined by his four adult children. The outgoing first lady also took the stage.

“Our first lady has been a woman of great grace, and beauty and dignity. And so popular with the people, so popular with the people,” Trump said.

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump view the crowd at Joint Base Andrews.
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump view the crowd at Joint Base Andrews. AP

Melania Trump told the crowd, “Being your first lady was my greatest honor. Thank you for your love and your support. You will be in my thoughts and prayers. God bless you all. God bless your families and God bless this beautiful nation.”

The president reflected on the impact of the pandemic on his presidency.

“Had we not been hit by the pandemic, we would have had numbers that would never have been seen,” Trump said of the economy.

“You’re gonna see incredible numbers start coming in, if everything is sort of left alone — be careful, very complex, be careful — but you’re going to see some incredible things happening. And remember us when you see these things happening, if you would, remember us because I’m looking at elements of our economy that are set to be a rocket ship up.”

​President Trump left the White House Wednesday morning for the final time as president.
​President Trump left the White House Wednesday morning for the final time as president. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Trump predicted that COVID-19 infections would “skyrocket downward” in coming months.

“We have worked hard. We’ve left it all — as the athletes would say — we’ve left it all in the field. We don’t have to come and say — we’ll never say in a month when we’re sitting in Florida, we’re not going to be looking at each other and saying, ‘You know if we only worked a little bit harder?’ You can’t work any harder,” Trump said.

“There’s still things to do. The first thing we have to do is pay our respects and our love to the incredible people and families who suffered so greatly from the China virus, it’s a horrible thing that was put onto the world. We all know where it came from, but it’s a horrible horrible thing. So be very careful — be very, very careful, but we want to pay great love great, love to all of the people that have suffered, including families who have suffered so gravely.”

Air Force One touched down in Palm Beach shortly before 11 a.m. and Trump and the first lady walked down the steps of the president’s official aircraft shortly afterward. They were followed by their family members.A team of Secret Service agents met them with a convoy of SUVs instead of the Beast – the tricked out limousine that usually ferried Trump around when he was president.

Trump did not make any remarks as he and the first lady entered the SUV.  

The plane passed over Mar-a-Lago on its way to the airport, according to White House pool reports.

TV screens in the plane’s cabin where the press pool traveling with Trump was seated showed a split screen of Biden arriving at the Capitol for his inauguration and Air Force One departing Washington earlier.

In his final 12 hours in office, Trump issued 73 pardons and 70 prison commutations. He pardoned rapper Lil Wayne and former adviser Steve Bannon, but didn’t act on some of the most heavily debated cases, including WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange and whistleblower Edward Snowden.

Trump is the first president since 1869 to skip his successor’s inauguration.

Follow along with The Post’s full up-to-the-minute Inauguration Day 2021 coverage live on Wednesday as President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are sworn in.