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As it happenedended1611205438

Trump news: Romney attacks former president as children get secret service protection

Follow the latest updates as four-year term ends with flurry of pardons

Tom Batchelor,Joe Sommerlad,Justin Vallejo
Thursday 21 January 2021 00:03 EST
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Trump leaves White House for final time but warns: ‘It’s not a long goodbye’

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Senator Romney is calling for reform after Donald Trump gave clemency to 143 people before leaving office.

Donald Trump arrived in Palm Beach, Florida, on Air Force One shortly to resume civilian life at Mar-a-Lago after departing the White House for the final time on Wednesday morning.  

"It was a privelege to be your president," he told the small his farewell event at Joint Base Andrews before boarding Air Force One with wife Melania for the last time.

Before his term came to an official end, Trump slipped in a last-minute pardon for the husband of Fox News ally, Judge Jeanine Pirro and extended Secret Service protection for his kids, Ivanka, Don Jr and Eric and their families.

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‘Seditious traitor ... domestic terrorist’: Scaramucci on Trump

The former White House communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, has described Donald Trump as a “traitor” and “domestic terrorist”.

Speaking to Sky News, he said: "He's a seditious traitor and he will be known for history as a domestic terrorist in the United States, and so we'll have to see how this unfolds now he is a former president but I predict he will be convicted in the Senate and he will likely be the first president in American history to be jailed."

Tom Batchelor20 January 2021 11:33
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The fastest things Biden can do to rid the country of the former president

From immigration to education, Covid and the climate crisis, Joe Biden and his allies say Donald Trump has left a trail of missteps and misdeeds. 

The Independent’s team of reporters consider what Mr Biden can do to solve it.

Tom Batchelor20 January 2021 11:48
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How a team of 90 will prep White House for the Bidens

As the clock ticks down on Donald Trump’s final hours in the White House, a team of 90 people is ready to prepare the building for the incoming president and his wife.

The White House residence staff must lead the way on decorative changes as well as implementing a Covid-19 deep clean.

Tom Batchelor20 January 2021 11:58
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Arrival of Biden provides UK with ‘golden opportunity’, says former PM

Theresa May has urged her successor Boris Johnson to protect Britain's values to help strengthen ties with the new US administration, saying his threat to break international law did nothing to raise "our credibility".

The former PM, who said she "never knew what to expect" from Donald Trump, described the inauguration of Joe Biden in an article in the Daily Mail  as a chance for both countries to better promote democratic values.

Ms May prompted criticism from some opposition lawmakers for being too close to Trump after he held her hand during a visit to Washington. But she has been outspoken in her criticism of Mr Johnson since he replaced her in 2019.

"The arrival of President Biden provides Britain with a golden opportunity," she said in the article.

Tom Batchelor20 January 2021 12:07
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How Trump’s farewell speech was littered with misinformation

Donald Trump released a farewell address to the nation on Tuesday night, telling his “make America great again” supporters once again that their movement was “just beginning”.

The speech, made hours before Joe Biden was due to be inaugurated as president, contained a string of falsehoods and distortions of Mr Trump’s record.

Tom Batchelor20 January 2021 12:29
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Biden’s team fear Trump chaos ‘tip of the iceberg’

Joe Biden’s team fear the chaos they are expecting to inherit from the Trump administration is just the “tip of the iceberg”, according to a report.

An account laid out by Politico paints a picture of dysfunction that goes beyond a general apathy about ensuring a seamless transfer of power.

Trump administration political appointees were said to be preventing the Biden camp from accessing data as well as sitting in on meetings they were holding with government staff.

“Even as late as now, they’re not conveying information,” one person told the news outlet. 

“Data about where vaccines are, their distributional analyses, data they haven’t released publicly about Covid cases. It’s shocking. I don’t remember this happening from Clinton to Bush, from Bush to Obama, or from Obama to Trump.”

Tom Batchelor20 January 2021 12:52
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Trump poised to leave White House for last time

Donald Trump is poised to leave the White House imminently with Marine One parked on the south lawn.

(AP)
Tom Batchelor20 January 2021 13:06
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Melania Trump got aides to write thank you cards - report

Melania Trump asked her aides to write thank you cards to White House taff, CNN has reported.

The outgoing first lady tasked a lower-level East Wing staffer with writing them "in her voice" and she signed her name, the article claimed.

Tom Batchelor20 January 2021 13:08
1611148497

Trump departs White House

Donald Trump has departed the White House for the final time. 

He paused briefly to speak to the press before walking to Marine One.

The president will head to Joint Base Andrews to give a speech, notably without a teleprompter.

Tom Batchelor20 January 2021 13:14
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‘It’s been a great honour, the honour of a lifetime,’ says Trump as he leaves White House

Donald Trump emerged from the White House on Wednesday morning and strode across the South Lawn to board Marine One. He said: "It's been a great honour, the honour of a lifetime."

A red carpet has been placed on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews in suburban Maryland for Mr Trump to walk as he boards the plane. Four US Army cannons are set up for a 21-gun salute. Mr Trump then flies to Florida, where he'll stay at Mar-a-Lago.

(AP)
Tom Batchelor20 January 2021 13:24

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