WASHINGTON – President Trump will leave Washington early Wednesday with a farewell ceremony at Joint Base Andrews before President-elect Joe Biden takes the oath of office, a guest told The Post.
In a break with a century of tradition, Trump will not continue to participate in the swearing-in of his successor and will instead leave the White House and board Air Force One around 8 a.m. to his Mar-A- Lago resort, the source said.
Invitees have been told to arrive at 7:15 a.m. at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where a crowd of hundreds of supporters and former staff will bid farewell to Trump as he leaves Washington for the final time as president.
According to Bloomberg News, which first reported the ceremony, invitees have been told they can invite up to five guests and wear masks all the time.
Details for the event are still being finalized, but a color watch and a 21-gun salute – usually reserved as military honors – are reportedly being considered.
Biden will be sworn in outside the Capitol at noon in a scaled-down ceremony that mirrors the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the deadly siege of Congress this month.
Only a small number of guests are allowed into the heavily barricaded area of the Capitol, which is guarded by thousands of National Guard troops.
Biden has urged his supporters not to travel to DC, and the traditional Pennsylvania Avenue parade has been dropped in favor of a “virtual” parade.
Earlier this month, Trump announced that he would not be attending Biden’s inauguration, as he continues to claim the election was stolen from him.
Vice President Mike Pence will attend the inauguration.