Trump prepares for farewell ceremony to end tumultuous term

Vice President Mike Pence speaks with staff members outside the West Wing

"Now more than ever, we must unify around our shared values and rise above the partisan rancor, and forge our common destiny," he said. But he did not mention Biden, to whom he has not formally conceded.

Trump maintained to his last days in office that the Nov. 3 election was stolen from him, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Courts have rejected his campaign’s unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud and his vice president, Mike Pence, led the U.S. Congress in certifying Biden’s victory over Trump’s objections, after Trump-inspired protesters had been cleared from the Capitol following a deadly assault.

A television light is seen near the White House on the final night of Donald Trump's presidency

The Washington that Trump leaves behind is being guarded by 25,000 National Guard troops, while the National Mall, traditionally thronged with spectators on Inauguration Day, is closed to the public because of threats of violence from groups that attacked the Capitol.

While preoccupied with fighting the election results, Trump did not put a dent in the spiraling death toll from the coronavirus, which crossed the grim 400,000 mark in the United States on Tuesday, the most of any country. Pandemic-related shutdowns and restrictions have also cost millions of Americans their jobs.