Trump opens "Office of the Former President" in Florida
Washington — Former President Donald Trump announced Monday the official opening of the "Office of the Former President" in Palm Beach County, Florida, which is tasked with overseeing the 45th president's official activities in his post-presidency life.
"The office will be responsible for managing President Trump's correspondence, public statements, appearances and official activities to advance the interests of the United States and to carry on the agenda of the Trump administration through advocacy, organizing and public activism," the office said in a statement. "President Trump will always and forever be a champion for the American people."
Mr. Trump and former first lady Melania Trump departed Washington for Florida the morning of January 20, choosing not to welcome President Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden to the White House and skipping the new president's inauguration.
Without access to his Twitter account, which the company banned following the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, and Facebook, Mr. Trump has been quiet and forced to rely on more traditional vehicles to reach the public and the press in his final days in office.
Twitter announced January 8 it decided to ban Mr. Trump's account "due to the risk of further incitement of violence" and limited the use of two other official accounts, which have since been transferred to Mr. Biden for use. Facebook, too, locked Mr. Trump's account indefinitely following the attack on the Capitol, though it is asking its independent oversight board to make a final decision on whether the former president should regain access to his account on Facebook and Instagram.
While Mr. Trump has not announced how he plans to spend his post-White House years and whether he intends to return to politics, he has suggested he does not intend to stay away from the public eye. In his final remarks as president before leaving Washington, Mr. Trump told a crowd of supporters "we will see you soon" and "we will be back in some form."
The former president will also be tried in the Senate next month, as the House impeached him for a second time for incitement of insurrection. The Senate received the single article of impeachment from the House on Monday and the trial is expected to begin the week of February 8.