KEY POINTS

  • Trump plans to hold a campaign rally in Florida on Jan. 20
  • He is not expected to attend Biden's inauguration
  • The Trump campaign has launched the "Save America" committee to fund his post-presidency plans

President Donald Trump is reportedly planning a ‘made-for-TV’ grand White House exit during President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

Trump, who starred in NBC’s “The Apprentice,” is considering exiting the White House on Marine One and a final Air Force One flight to Florida, where he may announce a 2024 bid. If his plan is followed, the outgoing president’s political rally would likely coincide with the incoming president's swearing-in.

“The Trump talk could create a split-screen moment: the outgoing president addressing a roaring crowd in an airport hangar while the incoming leader is sworn in before a socially distanced audience outside the Capitol,” Axios’ Alayna Treene wrote.

While Trump has yet to make any final decision about his departure, he also is not expected to attend Biden’s inauguration or send the incoming president an invite to the White House, people familiar with the discussions told The Daily Beast.

President-elect Biden said he “doesn’t care” whether Trump would attend his Jan. 20 inauguration. However, he thought the outgoing president’s attendance would be necessary as a customary gesture.

“I think it would be important that we are able to demonstrate at the end of this chaos — that he's created — that there is a peaceful transfer of power with the competing parties standing there, shaking hands, and moving on,” Biden said during an interview on CNN.

“So in that sense, a protocol of the transfer of power I think is important, but it is totally his decision and of no personal consequence to me, but I do think it is for the country,” he added .

The president has continuously refused to concede to Biden. In November, he said he would leave the Oval Office if the Electoral College declares Biden the winner. However, he has repeatedly alleged widespread voter fraud and vows to continue pursuing legal battles.

“It's going to be a very hard thing to concede because we know there was massive fraud,” Trump told a reporter in late-November.

Trump allies have begun surveying prominent donors that could offer more support for the president’s 2024 bid. His campaign team launched the Save America political action committee last month as an “election defense fund,” NBC News reported.

The new group has sent out 500 emails appealing for donations for Trump’s post-presidency plans. The email included fine print that said as much as 75% of all donations could go toward the Save America PAC.

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Analysts say US President Donald Trump may have miscalculated in Georgia: by insisting that electoral fraud took place there on November 3, will he depress turnout ahead of a crucial January 5 Senate run-off vote?
Analysts say US President Donald Trump may have miscalculated in Georgia: by insisting that electoral fraud took place there on November 3, will he depress turnout ahead of a crucial January 5 Senate run-off vote? AFP / Brendan Smialowski