Biden leaves White House for last time as president
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President Biden and President-elect Trump depart the White House ahead of Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20 in Washington, DC. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
President Biden left the White House for the last time as commander-in-chief Monday morning alongside his successor (and predecessor), President-elect Trump.
Why it matters: The historic moment likely marks the end of Biden's storied political career.
- The political rivals departed the White House together to travel to Capitol Hill for Trump's swearing-in ceremony.
Flashback: This is the first time Biden and Trump have gone through many of the traditional motions during the transition of power, as Trump refused to participate in Biden's inaugural events in 2021.
State of play: Just before the two smiled and posed for photos alongside their spouses Monday, Biden issued historic preemptive pardons for former NIAID Director Anthony Fauci, members of the House Jan. 6 committee and others in response to Trump's threats to investigate his political enemies.
- He's not the only one who had to bid the White House goodbye beside a political foil — Harris departed just minutes before with Vice President-elect JD Vance.
- And first ladies Jill Biden and Melania Trump also took the short trip to the Capitol side-by-side.
Go deeper: Follow Axios' live coverage of Inauguration Day.
Editor's note: This story was updated with additional photos.
