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Donald Trump will walk out of the White House and board Marine One for the last time as President Wednesday morning, leaving behind a legacy of chaos and tumult and a nation bitterly divided.
Four years after standing on stage at his own inauguration and painting a dire picture of “American carnage,” Trump departs the office twice impeached, with millions more out of work and 400,000 dead from the coronavirus. Republicans under his watch lost the presidency and both chambers of Congress. He will be forever remembered for the final major act of his presidency: inciting an insurrection at the Capitol that left five dead, including a Capitol Police officer, and horrified the nation.
Trump will be the first President in modern history to boycott his successor’s inauguration as he continues to stew about his loss and privately maintains the election that President-elect Joe Biden fairly won was stolen from him. Republican officials in several critical states, members of his own administration and a wide swath of judges, including those appointed by Trump, have rejected those arguments.
Still, Trump has refused to participate in any of the symbolic passing-of-the-torch traditions surrounding the peaceful transition of power, including inviting the Bidens over for a get-to-know-you visit.
By the time Biden is sworn in, Trump will already have landed at his private Mar-a-Lago club in West Palm Beach to face an uncertain future, but not before giving himself a grand sendoff — with a red carpet, a military band and even a 21-gun salute.
Guests have been invited, but it is unclear how many will attend. Even Vice President Mike Pence plans to skip the event, citing the logistical challenges of getting from the air base to the inauguration ceremonies. Washington has been transformed into a security fortress, with thousands of National Guard troops, fencing and checkpoints to try to stave off further violence.
Aides had urged Trump to spend his final days in office trying to salvage his legacy by highlighting his administration’s achievements — passing tax cuts, scaling back federal regulations, normalizing relations in the Middle East. But Trump largely refused, taking a single trip to the Texas border and releasing a video in which he pledged to his supporters that “the movement we started is only just beginning.”
Trump will retire to Florida with a small group of former White House aides as he charts a political future that looks very different now than just two weeks ago.
Before the Capitol riot, Trump had been expected to remain his party’s de facto leader, wielding enormous power as he served as a kingmaker and mulled a 2024 presidential run. But now he appears more powerless than ever — shunned by so many in his party, impeached twice, denied the Twitter bullhorn he had intended to use as his weapon and even facing the prospect that, if he is convicted in his Senate trial, he could be barred from seeking a second term.
For now, Trump remains angry and embarrassed, consumed with rage and grievance. He spent the week after the election sinking deeper and deeper into a world of conspiracy, and those who have spoken with him say he continues to believe he won in November. He continues to lash out at Republicans for perceived disloyalty and has threatened, both publicly and privately, to spend the coming years backing primary challenges against those he feel betrayed him.
Some expect him to eventually turn completely on the Republican Party, perhaps by flirting with a run as a third-party candidate as an act of revenge.
For all the chaos and drama and bending the world to his will, Trump ended his term as he began it: largely alone. The Republican Party he co-opted finally appeared to have had enough after Trump’s supporters violently stormed the Capitol, hunting for lawmakers who refused to go along with Trump’s unconstitutional efforts to overturn the results of a democratic election.
But although Washington may have had enough, Trump retains his grip on the Republican base, with the support of millions of loyal voters, along with allies still helming the Republican National Committee and many state party organizations.
The city he leaves will not miss him. Trump rarely left the confines of the White House, except to visit his own hotel. He and his wife never once ate dinner at any other local restaurant; never ventured out to shop in its stores or see the sites. When he did leave, it was almost always to one of his properties: his golf course in Virginia, his golf course in New Jersey, his private club and nearby golf course in Palm Beach.
The city overwhelmingly supported Biden, with 93% of the vote. Trump received just 5.4% of the vote — or fewer than 18,600 ballots — not enough to fill the Washington Capitals hockey arena.
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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
3 comments
Ron Ogden
January 20, 2021 at 8:08 am
In the face of the most furious, brutal, partisan and persistent attack in the history of the American presidency–in which the Associated Press played a large role– Donald Trump leaves the Presidency, for the moment, with a record of achievement unmatched since Franklin Roosevelt and the love and respect of 77 million people who already long for his return. Donald Trump’s vision of a great American nation striding across the landscape of history toward a sure and prosperous future is not one that we will let a passel of pusillanimous neurotics on the left destroy–and I speak especially of those in the employ of the AP and of the cowardly media bullies that trailed in their wake.
Sonja Fitch
January 20, 2021 at 8:46 am
Trump will go down down and down in history as the worst president! Twice impeached and still has to appear in Senate court and still may be locked up! Palm Beach County really!? This perversion is despicable and a perfect deplorable! The goptrump death cult leader has killed over 400000 Americans with his total inability to do and plan and have respect and empathy for Americans! May god have mercy on his rotten soul!
James Robert Miles
January 20, 2021 at 9:15 am
@Ron Ogden, are you on drugs? Maybe you just have your head so far up your butt that you can’t see reality for what it is! Obviously 78 million people people don’t share your delusional view of Trump (thank God) who, to ANTBODY with a brain is the worst President in U.S. history! Blame the news media if you will but the truth of the matter is (not fake news) Trump is a racist, egotistical, self centered whinny bitch who called for his followers to overthrow the U.S. government. he and followers committed treason and belong in jail and maybe that should include yourself. You sir, are no patriot!
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