Trump Departs White House for Florida, Leaves Parting Letter for Biden

Former president Donald Trump has skipped President Joe Biden's inauguration on Wednesday and headed to South Florida, where he plans to reside.

Trump was greeted by supporters wearing Trump gear and waving Trump flags while holding up other signs in West Palm Beach, according to a WTSP News report.

One supporter, Anita Bargas, said they just wanted to show Trump how much they appreciate him. Bargas came from Texas to show her support.

Trump waved back to the crowd as his motorcade slowly drove by on the way to his Mar-a-Lago resort after the Air Force One touched down in Florida that voted in his favor both in 2016 and 2020.

"For the most part, it's just a somber but at the same time celebratory moment for us to welcome him back home," supporter Iam Hedendal said in a Fox News report.

Trump earlier told another crowd of family members and White House staffers at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland that they have accomplished a lot and that what they have done was remarkable by any standard.

Trump broke the tradition by leaving Washington D.C. before a successor was sworn in. However, he wished the Biden administration great luck and great success.

Former Vice President Mike Pence attended Biden's inauguration but did not participate in Trump's send-off.

Trump Leaving a Letter for Biden

On Wednesday, Biden told reporters that Trump had left him a very generous letter, keeping with a long-standing tradition.

Trump spokesperson Judd Deere confirmed that Trump had written a letter to Biden and left it for him in the Oval Office's Resolute Desk.

Biden said that Trump wrote a "very generous" letter.

"Because it was private, I will not talk about it until I talk to him, but it was generous," Biden noted in an NDTV News report.

A senior Trump aide said that the letter was a personal note that prays for the country's success and the new administration to care for the country.

The aide added that writing a letter to Biden was one of the many items on Trump's list at the time. One person said that Trump did not show the letter he left to Biden to many of his aides, CNN reported.

According to an ABC News report, new White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a press briefing the night of the inauguration that there are no immediate plans for Biden to give Trump a call.

Psaki said she was with Biden when he read the letter in the Oval Office before signing several executive actions. The press secretary noted that Biden deemed the letter as a private matter.

Melania Trump surprised many by not reaching out to Jill Biden for a White House tour, which was also part of the tradition since the 1920s.