Joe Biden is sworn in as president by Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday. Holding the Bible is Biden's wife, Jill. His children Ashley and Hunter are on the right.
President Donald Trump lost his re-election on Nov. 3rd, 2020 but he never concedes and strongly claimed his winning but Democrats as socialists that stole his victory.
Trump and his legal team sued 60 cases but were dismissed by the court, including the Supreme Court to reject because there was no evidence. After all the fails, Trump instigated supporters to attack Congress at the Capitol in a joint session on Jan. 6th to pressure on electoral votes counting to confirm Trump's election victory. This riot caused 6 deaths including Capitol police official. With Trump's crime, the House of Representatives impeached Trump the second time and the Senate now controlled by Democrats will bring Trump to a trial and may convict him. For this shame, Trump refused to attend the inauguration of the new President.
Trump left the White House by the Marine One helicopter to Joint Base Andrew where Trump asked a red carpet departure ceremony with 21 cannon shoots, military music band, honor salute soldiers... Trump gave his departure remarks to some supporters there.. and then he took the Air Force One to fly to Florida for return home at his Golf club Mar-a-Lago. The Air Force One then flew back to Joint Base Andrew for new President Joe Biden.
While Trump left the White House, President-elect Joe Biden go to pray the God at Saint Mathew Catholic church and the to the swear-in ceremony at the Capitol. Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. Kamala Harris made history as the first woman, Black woman and Asian woman to be sworn in as vice president.
In his inaugural address, Biden called for unity. "Politics doesn't have to be a raging fire destroying everything in its path," the new president said. "We must end this uncivil war."
After that, President Biden was accompanied by former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and their First Lades during a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.
The 46th President of the United States Joe Biden with Vice President Kamala Harris enter the White House and during the afternoon on Inauguration day, Joe Biden signed 17 executive orders on issues ranging from the coronavirus to climate change — rolling back measures enacted by President Trump.
President Joe Biden has received a note written by former President Donald Trump left behind for him, but its content is hard to be declared so that President Biden told that let him ask Donald Trump if he wants to hide it or to open it to public...
Read this full report from Yahoo News on the Inauguration day of the 46th President Joe Biden:
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Full inauguration coverage: President Biden caps historic first day in office
Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. Kamala Harris made history as the first woman, Black woman and Asian woman to be sworn in as vice president.
In his inaugural address, Biden called for unity. "Politics doesn't have to be a raging fire destroying everything in its path," the new president said. "We must end this uncivil war."
Soon after arriving at the White House, Biden signed 17 executive actions on issues ranging from the coronavirus to climate change — rolling back measures enacted by President Trump.
Trump did not attend the inauguration, becoming the first president since 1869 to skip the swearing-in of his successor.
Visit the Yahoo News homepage for breaking news. For highlights and analysis of the historic day, see our recap in the blog below.
The latest
• President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were sworn in shortly before noon ET.
• In his inaugural address, Biden called for national unity and an end to the “uncivil war.”
• “Politics doesn’t have to be a raging fire destroying everything in its path,” the new president said.
• Harris made history as the first woman, first African American and first Asian American to become vice president.• Former President Donald Trump and ex-first lady Melania Trump did not attend the inauguration. They departed the White House early Wednesday and appeared at a small departure ceremony at Joint Base Andrews, where Trump concluded remarks by telling supporters, “Have a good life. We will see you soon.”
• Democrats officially took control of the Senate as Jon Ossoff, the Rev. Raphael Warnock and Alex Padilla were sworn in by Harris, who now holds the chamber’s tiebreaking vote. Sen. Chuck Schumer is now the majority leader, replacing Sen. Mitch McConnell.
• Biden signed 17 executive actions on issues ranging from the coronavirus to immigration — rolling back measures enacted by Trump. He told reporters that his predecessor left him a “very generous” letter, one of the few traditions Trump kept intact.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki speaks during her first press briefing Wednesday. (Evan Vucci/AP)
New White House press secretary holds first briefing
In the first press briefing of President Biden’s administration, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Wednesday night that her goal is to “bring transparency and truth back to the American government.”
It was an unsubtle jab at the previous administration, which was notorious for the false and misleading claims that were consistently lobbed from the briefing room podium.
Psaki also said that she plans to hold daily briefings Monday through Friday, another shift from the Trump White House, where press briefings became sporadic and nearly nonexistent toward the end of Trump’s term.
“I’d love to take your questions,” Psaki said.
Speaking about Biden’s goal of administering 100 million coronavirus vaccine shots in his first 100 days, Psaki said the president “remains committed” to that figure.
She was also asked about Biden’s current thoughts on the Hyde Amendment, a legislative provision barring the use of federal funds to pay for abortions except to save the life of the woman, or if the pregnancy arises from incest or rape.
Psaki declined to answer directly, talking instead about Biden’s strong Catholic faith.
President Biden swears in presidential appointees in a virtual ceremony in the State Dining Room of the White House on Wednesday. (Photo: Reuters/Tom Brenner)
Biden swears in presidential appointees in virtual ceremony
After signing over a dozen executive orders, President Biden swore in presidential appointees in a virtual ceremony Wednesday evening.
“We have to restore the soul of this country and I’m counting on all of you to be part of that,” Biden said in a speech before he administered the oath of office. “It’s not hyperbole. The only thing I expect with absolute certitude is honesty and decency.”
Biden introduces sweeping immigration reform bill, rolling back Trump orders
Yahoo News’ Caitlin Dickson reports:
Before President Biden was officially sworn in Wednesday, his incoming administration announced several significant immigration-related actions the new president planned to take on his first official day in office, signaling the start of what Biden has promised will be a more welcoming and humane contrast to the hard-line anti-immigrant policies of the Trump era.
Following his inauguration Wednesday, Biden is expected to sign the first of many executive orders he plans to issue in the coming days to undo a variety of controversial Trump policies, such as the bans restricting travel to the U.S. from several mostly Muslim and African countries, and will pause the construction of a wall along the southern border.
In addition to rolling back these and other Trump orders via executive action, Biden’s day-one immigration agenda also includes the introduction of an ambitious legislative overhaul of the U.S. immigration system.
The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, which Biden plans to send to Congress Wednesday, would create an eight-year pathway to citizenship for nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the U.S., expand the use of new screening technologies to bolster border security, and provide assistance to Central America as part of an effort to address the root causes of migration from the region.
When it comes to power, Joe Biden is the real apprentice
On the first day of Joe Biden’s presidency, he submitted to the office, Yahoo News’ Jon Ward writes:
Before and after his speech — the moment that will be replayed in news snippets and printed in history books — Biden went dutifully through ceremonies and rituals and signaled the importance of national unity.
Former President Donald Trump, meanwhile, could not be bothered to even attend the inauguration. He was the fourth president in the nation’s history to skip an inauguration after losing an election, and the first since 1869. It was one last big middle finger to political norms at the end of a presidency full of them.
Trump’s absence was amplified when former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama all accompanied Biden in a somber visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in tribute to fallen members of the U.S. military.
Biden’s decision to highlight sacrifice and duty on his first day stood in stark contrast to Trump’s first day as president in 2017, when he boasted about the size of the crowd at his inauguration. He always stood outside the presidency — its expectations and obligations — rather than coming underneath it and allowing the office to loom larger than his personality and ego.
Biden: Trump wrote me a 'very generous' letter
President Biden told reporters that his predecessor left him a “very generous” letter when he departed the White House this morning.
Biden said that he didn’t want to discuss the specific contents of the private message until he had an opportunity to speak with former President Donald Trump, who did not attend the inauguration earlier today, breaking a century and a half of tradition.
President Biden signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House Wednesday. (Photo: Reuters/Tom Brenner)
President Biden signing over a dozen executive orders
In one of his first official acts in the Oval Office, President Biden is signing a number of executive orders, rolling back some Trump policies and instituting some of his own. Among the orders:
* Terminating Trump’s ban on visitors from majority Muslim countries.
* Rejoining the Paris climate accord.
* Extending a federal eviction moratorium through the end of March.
* Revoking the Trump administration’s order to not count noncitizens in the census tally.
* Continuing the freeze on federal student loan payments through the end of September.
* Fortifying protections for “Dreamers,” undocumented immigrants who were brought into the U.S. as children.
* Reengaging with the World Health Organization.
* A nationwide mask wearing and social distancing mandate on federal lands, in federal buildings, and for federal employees and contractors.
* Stopping construction of the border wall.
* Revoking the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline.
Read more about them here.
In this image from video, VP Harris swears in Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., on Senate floor Wednesday. (Senate Television via AP)
Democrats take control of the Senate
Now as president of the Senate, Vice President Kamala Harris swore in three new Democratic senators on Inauguration Day, which changed the balance of power in the chamber, giving Democrats control for the first time since 2014. With a 50-50 split, Democratic Vice President Harris would cast a vote in the event of a tie.
Like Harris, the newly sworn-in senators are making history in their own ways today.
Harris administered the oath of office for her replacement, Alex Padilla, who is California’s first Latino senator and was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Harris also swore in Georgia’s senators, the Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff. Warnock is Georgia’s first Black senator, and Ossoff is the first Jewish senator from Georgia. At age 33, Ossoff is also the youngest Democrat elected to the Senate since Joe Biden was elected in 1972.
The Democratic Senate majority also makes Sen. Chuck Schumer the Senate majority leader, with Sen. Mitch McConnell now serving as Senate minority leader.
Biden, Harris walk short parade route to White House with their families
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris walked with their families on Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House as part of the 59th presidential inauguration parade.
Due to security concerns, it was not known ahead of time whether Biden and Harris would get out of their protected vehicles to walk the shortened parade route.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden receive Presidential Escort to the White House after the 59th Presidential Inauguration in Washington January 20, 2021. (Photo: Doug Mills/Pool via Reuters)
Vice President Kamala Harris walks with her great-niece Amara Ajagu to the White House Wednesday. (Photo: Reuters/Andrew Kelly)
As Trump departs office, reality sets in for QAnon cult
From Yahoo News’ Caitlin Dickson and Jerry Adler:
As the clock ticked down to noon on Wednesday, message boards for the vast conspiracy theory QAnon began filling with increasingly desperate posts from followers who claimed to have gone without sleep for as long as six days, not wanting to miss the moment they had been waiting and hoping for for years. “Please God, I’m watching, it’s making me sick to my stomach, but I want to see arrests,” one wrote. “Either arrests happen or we are now China’s property,” wrote another. And as Biden prepared to take the oath, a few minutes before 12 p.m. ET, despair turned to anger, even at Donald Trump himself. “Thanks Trump!” read one post. “You sold out our country!”
In what will probably be the closest thing to an official conclusion to the Q saga, Ron Watkins, the former administrator of the 8kun board that hosted Q, posted a conciliatory message to Telegram shortly after Biden’s inauguration ceremony, telling followers “we keep our chins up and go back to our lives as best we are able.”
“We have a new president sworn in and it is our responsibility as citizens to respect the Constitution regardless of whether or not we agree with the specifics or details regarding officials who are sworn in,” the message continued. “As we enter into the next administration please remember all the friends and happy memories we made together over the past few years.”
President Biden and Vice President Harris attend a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Wednesday. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Biden, former presidents lay wreath at Arlington National Cemetery
President Biden, first lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff traveled to Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday for a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The first and second couples were joined by former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton as well as former first ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton.
Former President Jimmy Carter had announced he would not attend Biden’s inauguration due to the coronavirus pandemic. At age 96 and as the oldest living president, Carter has attended every previous inauguration since his own in 1977.Noticeably missing were former President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump, who decided not to attend the inauguration or postinaugural events, instead ending Trump’s presidency at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla.
Douglas Emhoff and Kamala Harris as they arrive at the inauguration Wednesday. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
U.S. gets its first 'second gentleman'
When Kamala Harris made history as the first woman to be sworn in as vice president, her husband, Doug Emhoff, did too: He became the first “second gentleman” in U.S. history. Yahoo Life’s Erin Donnelly explains the significance of that role:
Having announced in November his plans to leave his job at the law firm DLA Piper in order to support the Biden administration full-time, the 56-year-old father of two is already throwing himself into his new role as the first man and first Jewish person to be married to a vice president.
Last week Emhoff — who married Harris, then attorney general of California, in 2014 — unveiled his new Twitter handle, @SecondGentleman. While many applauded his support of Harris and his embrace of his stereotype-defying title, Emhoff also found himself being mocked by critics who called it “absolutely emasculating.”
That criticism sparked its own backlash, with many rushing to Emhoff’s defense. “The little insecure men saying that ‘Second Gentleman’ is emasculating prove just how much we all need to see and normalize — GASP! — men supporting powerful women,” wrote Harris’s niece, Phenomenal Woman CEO Meena Harris.
President Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden are presented a painting from Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., as Vice President Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff look on Wednesday. (Win McNamee/Pool via Reuters)
Congressional leaders present gifts to Biden and Harris
Traditionally, Congress would be having a post-inauguration lunch the newly-elected president and Vice President right about now, but the event was canceled due to public health concerns over the coronavirus.
But congressional leaders still continued with the tradition of presenting President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris with commemorative gifts.
Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, said that typically there's a painting at the front of the event chosen by the chairman. This year, Blunt enlisted the help of first lady Dr. Jill Biden, who selected an 1859 painting, "Landscape with Rainbow," by African American artist Robert S. Duncanson. Blunt said the painting, loaned from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, is a depiction of an American utopia with an optimistic view while the country was on the verge of the Civil War.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., presented the first and second couples with custom-made Lenox crystal vases, indicating the gifts have been a tradition for the past nine presidential inaugurations. Klobuchar said each vase weighs 32 pounds.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi then presented Biden and Harris with the American flags that were flown at the Capitol during the inauguration ceremony.
House minority leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., presented photos of Biden and Harris being sworn into office. McCarthy marveled at the technical innovations that allowed him to present the framed photos so quickly after the ceremony.
President Biden signs three documents including an inauguration declaration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Wednesday. (Jim Lo Scalzo/Reuters)
Biden takes office, stressing national unity at a time of marked divisions
Joe Biden took his oath of office Wednesday on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, the same spot where a mob staged a riot two weeks earlier to prevent him from becoming the 46th president.
In his inaugural address, Biden, 78, framed his remarks around the attempted insurrection, but said that “democracy has prevailed.”
“On this hallowed ground, where just a few days ago violence sought to shake the Capitol's very foundation, we come together one nation, under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries,” Biden said.
Biden thanked his predecessors — Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton — who attended the inauguration, and Jimmy Carter, who due to health concerns did not make the trip to Washington. Left off that list was former President Donald Trump, who broke precedent by skipping the event after months of falsely claiming his defeat in the 2020 election was due to fraud
Gaga explains the meaning behind her giant pendant
Biden's first presidential tweet
Reverend Dr. Silvester Beaman speaks during a benediction during the inauguration of President Joe Biden Wednesday. (Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Delaware pastor delivers benediction: 'We will make friends of our enemies'
The Rev. Dr. Silvester Beaman, pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Wilmington, Del., delivered the benediction to close out Biden's inauguration.
“People, your people shall no longer raise weapons against one another," Beaman said. "We will rather use our resources for the national good and become a beacon of life and good will to the world. And neither shall we learn hatred anymore. We will lie down in peace and not make our neighbors afraid.”
Beaman has known the Biden family for nearly 30 years and was close with Biden's late son, Beau.
Amanda Gorman recites a poem during Biden's inauguration Wednesday. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
Amanda Gorman makes U.S. history as youngest inaugural poet
Amanda Gorman became the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history at the inauguration of President Joe Biden. The 22-year-old recited an original poem about national unity entitled, "The Hill We Climb."
In 2017, Gorman was named America's first National Youth Poet Laureate. Three years earlier she was named the first Youth Poet Laureate of Los Angeles.
As Gorman read her poem on Wednesday, she continued an inauguration tradition that has included renowned poets such as Maya Angelou and Robert Frost.
"The Hill We Climb" reads, in part:
We've seen a force that would shatter our nation rather than share it,
Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy.
And this effort very nearly succeeded.
But while democracy can be periodically delayed,
It can never be permanently defeated.
In this truth, in this faith, we trust.
For while we have our eyes on the future,
History has its eyes on us.
Official White House Twitter accounts transitioned to Biden, Harris
President Joe Biden delivers his inaugural address at the Capitol on Wednesday. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Biden: 'Without unity, there is no peace'
Shortly after being sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden delivered an inaugural speech with the theme "America United," calling on Americans to overcome divisions.
"Politics doesn't have to be a raging fire destroying everything in its path," Biden said. "We must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured."
In the middle of his speech, Biden recognized the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and held a moment of silence in recognition of the 400,000 Americans who have died from complications related to COVID-19.
"To all those who did not support us, let me say this," he continued. "Hear me out as we move forward. Take a measure of me and my heart. If you still disagree, so be it. That's democracy. That's America."
Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Jan. 20. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
Joseph R. Biden sworn in as 46th president of the United States
Joseph R. Biden was officially sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday. Chief Justice John Roberts led Biden in the oath of office. Biden took the oath with his hand on top of his 127-year-old, 5-inch-thick family Bible, which was held by first lady Jill Biden.
A staff member puts the Bible on a table ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration Wednesday. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)
The family Bible
Read more about the Biden family heirloom that was just used to swear in the president here.
Kamala Harris is sworn in as vice president while her husband, Doug Emhoff, looks on. (Photo: (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
Vice President Kamala Harris makes history
Vice President Kamala Harris made history as the first woman, first African American and person of South Asian descent to be sworn in as vice president of the United States. Harris was sworn in by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina member of the Supreme Court.
Harris was sworn in using two Bibles: One belonged to a close family friend named Regina Shelton; the other belonged to Thurgood Mashall, the nation's first African American Supreme Court justice.
Harris considers Marshall to be one of her heroes.
Trailblazing Black female firefighter leads Pledge of Allegiance
Andrea Hall, a firefighter, recited the Pledge of Allegiance at Biden's inauguration.
In 2004 she became the first Black woman to be promoted to fire captain of the Fire Rescue Department in South Fulton, Ga.
Lady Gaga performs national anthem
Lady Gaga sings the national anthem at Joe Biden's inauguration Wednesday. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Socially-distanced guests await the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States in Washington, D.C., Wednesday. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
President-elect Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden arrive on the platform on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol for his inauguration. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Father Leo O'Donovan delivers the invocation Wednesday. (Patrick Semansky/AP, Pool)
Biden family friend delivers invocation
Father Leo O’Donovan will deliver the invocation at Biden's inauguration. The Jesuit priest is a former president of Georgetown University and is a close friend of the Biden family. O'Donovan was the main celebrant at the mass for Biden's son Beau, who died of brain cancer in in 2015, at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Wilmington, Delaware.
Biden makes history as the second Catholic president in U.S. history. The last time a Catholic president was inaugurated was John F. Kennedy in 1961.
As presidency comes to a close,Trump arrives in Florida
President Trump waves as he and first lady Melania Trump arrive at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Wednesday. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Trump supporters wait for the motorcade to pass by on their way to Mar-a-Lago. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/AFP via Getty Images)
Doug Emhoff, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Dr. Jill Biden and President-elect Joe Biden. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
VIP arrivals
Joe Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff arrived at the Capitol ahead of the inauguration festivities around 10:30 a.m. ET. Other guests, including former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and former first ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton, have also arrived.
Also in attendance: Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence. Notably, they did not attend President Trump's departure ceremony at Join Base Andrews earlier in the day.
All attendees were required to wear masks to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michele Obama. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
Former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Vice President Mike Pence and Karen Pence. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
What they're wearing
From Yahoo News' Brittany Shepherd, who is in attendance at the inauguration:
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is wearing a purple suit by Christopher John Rogers and Sergio Hudson shoes — both of whom are Black designers — for this historic day. In just under an hour, there will be a woman, Black and Asian vice president for the very first time. Several glass ceilings all at once.
Three newest Democratic senators in attendance
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris aren't the only people being sworn into new roles today. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, who won runoff elections earlier this month, will officially take office as Georgia's U.S. Senate delegation this afternoon.
Alex Padilla, the long-time California secretary of state, will join them after being appointed to fill Harris' soon-to-be-vacated Senate seat.
U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman arrives at the inauguration ceremony Wednesday. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
VP-elect Harris escorted by Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman
Sen. Kamala Harris, who will be sworn in as vice president shortly, is being escorted at the inauguration ceremony by Eugene Goodman, a Black Capitol Police officer who was captured in a viral video holding off a group of insurgents during the Jan. 6 riot. Goodman is serving in his new role as the acting deputy House Sergeant at Arms.
The final Trump pool report
Via Francesca Chambers, White House correspondent for McClatchy D.C., this is the final in-town press pool report of the Trump administration:
President Trump stood further away from pool than usual making his remarks extra hard to hear. Here's the key line (please check against video) of President Trump on the South Lawn per the AP:
"It has been something very special. And I just want to say goodbye, but hopefully it’s not a long-term goodbye. We'll see each other again."
Per the AP's Darlene Superville, as pool walked back through the Palm Room Doors, Keith Kellogg was seen standing in the colonnade, giving the West Wing one last look.
Pool also observed Robert O'Brien through the window of the Oval Office after Trump had already departed.
Color that Judd Deere asked me to share with you, attributable to him:
The president and first lady were greeted when they came downstairs by White House residence staff. The president and first lady thanked them all and wished them farewell.In the Diplomatic Reception room before they walked out, the president and first lady thanked and said farewell to White House staff, including counsel Pat Cipollone, deputy counsel Pat Philbin, General Keith Kellogg, Robert O'Brien, Judd Deere.Dan Scavino and Nick Luna were also present.
On the helicopter, also per Deere: Dan Scavino, Beau Harrison and Hayley D'Antuono.
From Yahoo News' Brittany Shepherd, who is in attendance at the ceremony today. She reports that she's pretty close to the action, sitting behind the diplomatic section, which is arranged by country in pairs. The U.S. Marine Band is playing as VIP's begin to arrive on a windy, chilly morning. She says she can see the incredible view of the "Field of Flags" on the National Mall when she turns around in her seat.
'Have a good life. We will see you soon.'
— President Trump's concluding remarks at his departure ceremony at Joint Base Andrews
President-elect Joe Biden and incoming first lady Jill Biden attend Mass on Wednesday. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
Biden, Harris attend mass with families, congressional leaders
President-elect Joe Biden attended mass with his family at Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her family, along with congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle — including Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell and GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy — were also in attendance.
Biden will make history as the second Catholic president in U.S. history. The last time a Catholic president was inaugurated was John F. Kennedy in 1961.
President Trump speaks next to first lady Melania Trump before departing from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Trump delivers final remarks as president
Speaking at Joint Base Andrews before departing to Florida, Donald Trump appeared before a group of supporters for the final time as the president of the United States. He recounted what he viewed as the successes of his administration — rebuilding the military, creating Space Force, job numbers and the stock market — and blamed "the China virus" for the nation's struggles one final time. He also expressed sympathy toward those who died from COVID-19, expressing condolences "to all the people that have suffered, including families."
Appearing with his family, Trump also wished the incoming Biden administration luck, saying, "I think they'll have great success." Both the president and the first lady told the crowd that serving in those roles had been the honor of their lives, with Trump adding he would return in "some form."
"Have a good life. We will see you soon," Trump said as the Village People's "YMCA," a staple at his rallies, began to play.
Outgoing President Trump waves as he boards Marine One at the White House on Wednesday. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump departs White House for final time as president
At approximately 8:12 a.m. ET, President Trump walked out of the White House. Accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, the president stopped to briefly speak with supporters and staffers gathered behind a rope line before their short walk to Marine One, which took off moments later.
Trump will land at nearby Joint Base Andrews for a farewell ceremony and is expected to deliver remarks.
From there, he'll take off in Air Force One and travel to Mar-a-Lago in West Palm Beach, Fla., instead of attending President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration.
The sun rises behind the U.S. Capitol as final preparations are made prior to the 59th inaugural ceremony for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on the west front of the Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 2021. (Caroline Brehman/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Inauguration Day 2021
Morning all and welcome to our live coverage of this historic day. In a few hours, Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States in Washington, D.C., where security is unprecedentedly high amid concerns over potential violence after the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month. Kamala Harris will make history too when she becomes the first woman, Black woman and South Asian woman to be sworn in as vice president.
Before that, though, President Trump and first lady Melania Trump, who will not attend the inauguration, will leave the White House around 8 a.m. ET. They will participate in a departure ceremony at Joint Base Andrews before flying to West Palm Beach, Fla., which they will be making their permanent residence at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club.
After he takes office, Biden is expected to issue more than a dozen executive orders, focused on the coronavirus, climate change, immigration and other issues.
And then there is a primetime television special, featuring Tom Hanks and others, to bookend the inauguration festivities.
Yahoo News will be carrying live video of all of it in our player and offering instant analysis of key moments in this blog.
So settle in. Glad you're joining us.
