Trump and Melania say goodbye to Biden in inauguration tradition; understand

Former President Joe Biden and former First Lady Jill Biden left the US Capitol accompanied by newly inaugurated President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump this Monday (20).

The “honorary departure” for former president and vice president in the USA is a tradition of the inauguration ceremony, where, after the oaths, the now former president and former first lady leave to start their lives after leaving the White House.

In recent years, the newly inaugurated president and vice president have escorted their predecessors out of the Capitol after the Inauguration Ceremony. Since 1977, the former president and former first lady have left the Capitol by helicopter (weather permitting).

This year, Joe and Jill Biden went to Joint Base Andrews, from where they will travel to California. There, Biden spoke for the first time as a former president.

The now-former president offered a brief reaction to President Donald Trump’s inaugural address.

“We have a lot more to do. We heard the inaugural address today — you know, we have a lot more to do,” Biden said to a crowd of former aides in a hangar at Joint Base Andrews.

Biden stated that he is “stepping down, but we are not leaving the fight,” asking people to “remain engaged in every way you can.”

Alongside former first lady Jill Biden, the former president expressed gratitude to his team.

“No president can choose the moment in which he enters history. But they can choose the team they enter with. And we chose the best team in the world”, he stated, highlighting that they looked back on the last four years with “pride”.

Biden said it was the “honor of my life to serve as your president” and offered his perspective on how his one-term presidency will be viewed: “Mark my words: the future will judge what you have done as one of the most significant contributions that have been made all over America.”

“Thanks, Joe,” the crowd cheered.

Joe and Jill Biden crossed the tarmac hand in hand and boarded Special Air Mission 46 for a flight to Santa Ynez, California. They waved from the top of the small steps, before entering the plane.

This content was originally published in Trump and Melania bid farewell to Biden in inauguration tradition; understand on the CNN Brasil website.

Source: CNN Brasil

You may also like