Donald Trump touted his administration’s accomplishments and wished his successor luck in a farewell video on his final full day as US president.
“This week we inaugurate a new administration and pray for its success in keeping America safe and prosperous,” Trump said in the video “farewell address,” released by the White House less than 24 hours before Joe Biden’s inauguration as US president. “We extend our best wishes. And we also want them to have luck — a very important word.”
Trump said that his presidency was a triumph for everyday people, highlighting his top achievements, including efforts to normalize relations in the Middle East, the development of COVID-19 vaccinations and the creation of the US Space Force.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“As president, my top priority, my constant concern, has always been the best interests of American workers and American families,” he said. “I did not seek the easiest course; by far, it was actually the most difficult. I did not seek the path that would get the least criticism. I took on the tough battles, the hardest fights, the most difficult choices because that’s what you elected me to do.”
Trump said that as he prepares “to hand power over to a new administration at noon on Wednesday [yesterday], I want you to know that the movement we started is only just beginning.”
“There’s never been anything like it,” he said of the support he has received.
Trump was to leave Washington early yesterday after a farewell event at Joint Base Andrews.
Once there, he was to board Air Force One for a final time, flying to Florida and becoming the first outgoing US president in more than a century to skip the inauguration of his successor.
Trump has also refused to take part in any of the symbolic passing-of-the-torch transition traditions.
He is skipping not just the ceremony at the Capitol, but also passed on inviting the Bidens to the White House for a get-to-know-you meeting.
It was unclear whether he would write Biden a personal welcome letter, like the one he received from former US president Barack Obama when he moved in.
A long list of Trump staffers have already packed their offices and departed the White House, leaving the West Wing deserted surrounded by an unprecedented security apparatus with National Guard troops, military vehicles and checkpoints after the Capitol riot on Jan. 6.
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