Donald Trump used his final speech as President on Wednesday to gush over his family, congratulate himself for the ‘incredible’ things he has accomplished in four years and threaten that he’ll ‘be back’ before flying to Mar-a-Lago on Air Force One ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration.
Trump spoke at Joint Base Andrews on a make-shift stage after receiving a 21-gun salute while his family and a handful of supporters cheered him on.
He is the first president since 1869 to snub his successor’s inauguration, finalizing the snub when the helicopter took flight. The only people gathered outside to wish him goodbye were the press, to whom he briefly spoke to them before getting on board.
‘We love you. I can tell you that from the bottom of my heart. This has been an incredible four years. We’ve accomplished so much together.
‘I want to thank you for your effort, your hard work – people have no idea how hard this family worked and they worked for you. They could have had a much easier life but they did a fantastic job.’
He then looked towards Melania, who was to the side, and gushed: ‘Our First Lady has been a woman of great grace and beauty.’
Melania took her sunglasses off to offer a few words of her own.
‘Being your First Lady was my greatest honor. Thank you for your love and support. You will be in my thoughts and prayers. God bless you all, God bless your families and God bless this beautiful nation,’ she said.
Before speaking at Andrews, he briefly thanked reporters at the White House and said it had been the ‘honor of a lifetime’ to serve as President.