Nearly four years after he left Washington DC under a cloud of ignominy rather than attend Joe Biden’s inauguration, presidentelect Donald Trump’s bespoke 757 touched down at Joint Base Andrews and taxied to nearly the exact spot from which he departed the same airfield aboard Air Force One.
This time, there was no red carpet there to meet him. There were no salutes rendered upon his arrival, and only a single air force officer waiting to greet the man who will, for the second time, become the commander-in-chief of the world’s most powerful military in just a few short months. Roughly 20 miles away at the White House, Trump wasn’t greeted by anything near the pageantry that will await him following his inauguration on 20 January, four years to the day after he left without welcoming Biden upon his arrival.
At the White House, without a single press camera there to witness his arrival at his former and future home, Trump entered the Oval Office, where he sat before a roaring fireplace across from a man who just weeks ago described him as an existential threat to the American republic.
When reporters were brought in to document the extraordinary occasion, Biden was surprisingly polite to a man who he’d spent the last five-plus years attacking and trying to remove from the American political scene. It was a calm, almost surreal scene, in its simplicity and pleasantry. Elsewhere in the White House, the message was clear – the circus is coming back.
Denne historien er fra November 14, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra November 14, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Zhao goes trophy hunting after match-fixing ban ends
When the main stage of the UK Championship - still widely considered snooker's second-biggest event after the World Championship - kicks off in York this afternoon, there will be an amateur player taking to the baize.
Wales look set for a biblical bashing against Springboks
Many a frustrated writer in search of a metaphor has plucked from the passages of 1 Samuel in the past but this week, the tale of David and Goliath feels apt.
Amorim lays down law as United begin new chapter
Ruben Amorim was running through Manchester United's recent managerial history.
Shame on PM for ignoring.lawyers' £4bn tax loophole
While most major employers were gnashing their teeth at the increase in their national insurance in the Budget, one group was celebrating.
Ofgem raises price cap as millions lose fuel payments
The energy price cap will increase in January for a second consecutive time, raising bills by 1.2 per cent as millions of people lose access to winter fuel payments.
'My father knew he was a target from the start but stayed to defend his people'
As pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai faces a potential life sentence in the high-stakes national security case in Hong Kong, his son Sebastien Lai has denounced the proceedings as a politically motivated \"show trial\" driven by a China-led crackdown on dissent politically motivated “show trial” driven by a China-led crackdown on dissent.
Meet Trump's second pick for attorney general top job
The incoming Trump administration didn't waste any time on Thursday after Matt Gaetz said that he was dropping his bid to become attorney general.
Judge postpones Trump's 'hush money' sentencing
The judge overseeing Donald Trump's historic hush money trail has postponed his sentencing indefinitely as he considers arguments from the president-elect's legal team to close the case.
McGregor raped woman in hotel, civil court jury finds
A woman who accused Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor of raping her in a Dublin hotel six years ago has won her claim against him for damages in a High Court civil case.
Cop29 $250bn climate fund.offer dismissed as insulting
Hopes of a trillion-dollar climate finance fund appear to be slipping out of reach after a draft text at the COP29 climate summit proposed a deal worth only a fifth of that.
