Biden, Now a Private Citizen, Leaves DC

Hours after he welcomed President Trump "home" to the White House, Joe Biden, now a private citizen, left Washington, DC, by helicopter. Since Biden is a former president, he and his wife, Jill, boarded a chopper technically known as "Nighthawk 46" despite it still having the presidential seal. The Trumps walked the Bidens to the helicopter after Trump's inauguration and first lady Melania Trump visibly struggled to keep the hat on her head amid wind gusts and the force of the military helicopter, the AP reports. The helicopter took the Bidens to a farewell ceremony at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

"It has been the honor of my life to serve as your president," Biden said at the ceremony, per USA Today. He thanked his team "for being part of this journey." He told now-former staff members, "We're leaving office, but we're not leaving the fight." The military airplane taking Biden and his family to a respite in California took off just before 2pm. Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff were also due to fly to California after the inauguration.

(More Joe Biden stories.)