On January 20, 2017, Joe Biden attended the Presidential Inauguration ceremony where Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States. Former President Barack and Michelle Obama were also in attendance, and they gracefully welcomed Trump and his wife, Melania, to the White House afterwards.
Even Hillary Clinton, who lost a hard fought battle for president in 2016, attended Trump’s inauguration because it was the right thing to do.
However, Trump will not be in attendance when Biden is sworn in as the nation’s 46th president on Wednesday.
The Trumps departed the White House for the final time early Wednesday morning. After a small ceremony at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, they flew home to his Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach, Florida, to spend the final hours of his presidency.
There will be no photos of the former and current presidents chatting in the Oval Office while their wives tour the private residence.
There will be no traditional handoff of the nuclear football between the outgoing and incoming presidents.
Trump becomes the first president in more than 150 years to refuse to attend his successor’s inauguration or welcome him to the White House.
