Trump bids farewell to Washington, hints of comeback

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — His presidency over, Donald Trump said farewell to Washington on Wednesday but also hinted about a comeback.

"So just a goodbye. We love you," Trump told supporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland where he walked across a red carpet and boarded Air Force One to head to Florida. "We will be back in some form."

The first president in modern history to boycott his successor's inauguration, Trump is still stewing about his loss and maintains that election won by Biden 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.

Trump refused to participate in any of the symbolic passing-of-the-torch traditions surrounding the peaceful transition of power, including inviting Joe and Jill Biden to the White House for a get-to-know-you visit.

He did follow at least one tradition: The White House said Trump left behind a note for Biden. A Trump spokesman, Judd Deere, declined to say what Trump wrote or characterize the sentiment in the note, citing privacy for communication between presidents.

Members of Trump's family gathered for the send-off on the military base along with the president's loyalists, who chanted "We love you!" "Thank you, Trump" and "U.S.A." Four Army cannons fired a 21-gun salute.

Speaking without notes, Trump said his presidency was an "incredible four years." He told the crowd that he and first lady Melania Trump loved them and praised his family for its hard work, saying they could have chosen to have an easier life.

"It's been something very special. We've accomplished a lot," Trump said, citing the installation of conservative judges, creation of the space force, development of coronavirus vaccines and management of a robust pre-pandemic economy. "I hope they don't raise your taxes, but if they do, I told you so," he said of the incoming Biden administration.

He acknowledged that his was not a "regular administration" and told his backers that he would be returning in some form. He said the Trump campaign had worked so hard: "We've left it all on the field," he said.

Without mention's Biden's name, Trump wished the new administration great luck and success, which he said would made easier because he had laid "a foundation."

"I will always fight for you," he told the crowd. "I will be watching. I will be listening."

Before arriving at the airport, Trump told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House that being president had been the honor of his lifetime.

"We love the American people, and again, it has been something very special," he said over the sound of the Marine One helicopter. "And I just want to say goodbye but hopefully it's not a long-term goodbye. We'll see each other again."

Trump and first lady Melania Trump landed in Florida a more than an hour before Biden was to be sworn in as the 46th U.S. president. Air Force One flew low along the Florida coast as Biden's inauguration ceremony flashed across televisions on board. A loud cheer went up from the crowd awaiting his arrival when the plane made a low approach to Palm Beach International Airport as the "Star-Spangled Banner" played over loudspeakers.

Several hundred supporters lined his limousine route to Trump's Mar-a-Lago club. It had a party atmosphere. Trump and American flags waved, with many supporters wearing red, white and blue clothing.

Shari Ackerly parked her three-wheeled motorcycle along the road, painted with red, white and blue stripes and "Trump - Make America Great." A Trump-Pence campaign sign laid against the headrest, the vice president's name crossed out.

Ackerly said she wanted to show her support for Trump, saying she supported him since he gave Sen. Ted Cruz the nickname "Lyin' Ted" in the 2016 Republican debates. "He told it like it is," she said.

In Florida, he will face an uncertain future.

Aides had urged Trump to spend his final days in office trying to salvage his legacy by highlighting his administration's achievements — tax cuts, scaled-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." In his final hours, Trump issued pardons for more than 140 people, including his former strategist, rap performers, ex-members of Congress and other allies of him and his family.

Trump will be in Florida with a small group of former White House aides as he charts a political future that looks very different now from just two weeks ago.

Before the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 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.

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.