President-elect Trump returned to Washington Saturday evening after boarding an Air Force plane on a special mission for his historic return after four years.
Trump and his wife, Melania, and their youngest son, Barron, began their journey from West Palm Beach, Florida, to the nation’s capital, waving to the crowd before climbing the steps.
Trump marked his return to power with a party at his Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, about 30 miles outside Washington.
He addressed the crowd, calling out Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and calling his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff a “great negotiator.” Witkoff last week helped negotiate a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that is expected to enter into force on Sunday.
Shortly after his remarks, Trump stepped onto a clubhouse balcony as guests gathered on the patio below him for a fireworks display and performance by tenor Christopher Macchio.
President-elect Trump, his wife Melania Trump and their son Barron Trump arrive at Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC on Saturday. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Hours earlier, Trump and his family landed in Sterling, Virginia, where they met Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and first lady Suzanne Youngkin at Trump National Golf Club.
Youngkin welcomed President-elect and first lady Melania Trump to the club and presented them with a stately gift.
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Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin welcomed President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday evening. (Christian Martinez, via X)
A photo of the Trumps and Youngkins, posted on X around 8 p.m., showed the exchange.
The Trumps will host an evening reception and fireworks show later in the evening.
Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner accompanied the president-elect on the trip.
Trump’s middle son, Eric, and daughter-in-law, Lara, departed Florida separately on the president-elect’s private plane.
During the flight, Erik Trump went to X and shared his “renewed hope and spirit for (the) country.”
Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and family arrive to board a special Air Force air mission plane ready for President-elect Trump’s arrival at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday for travel to Washington . (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
“The past decade has been a constant battle – countless rallies, TV appearances, subpoenas, depositions and weeks in cold courtrooms,” Eric Trump wrote in the post. “With endless attacks on my family, the business I run and the employees I care for, we faced slander, fake news, home invasions and countless games designed to break us.”
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President-elect Trump, standing next to Melania and Barron Trump, waves as they board an Air Force Special Mission plane Saturday at Palm Beach International Airport, in West Palm Beach, Florida, en route to Washington. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
His immediate family, including wife Lara and children Luke and Carolina, joined him on the trip to DC
Eric Trump wrote that “every ounce of (his) fight” was for his children and the future of their generation.
“This time America won,” he added.
“Against all odds, we did it – together with the incredible people of this country and the greatest political movement in history,” Eric Trump wrote. “I have never been more proud of anyone than I am of (Donald Trump). He stood firm and truly had the courage of steel. Our country is in good hands. The madness is over. America is in an age of renewal.”
President-elect Trump and Melania Trump and watch fireworks at Trump National Golf Club, Saturday, in Sterling, Virginia. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Swimming Pool)
On Sunday, Trump will attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Arlington National Cemetery and a “Make America Great Again” rally followed by a candlelight dinner.
The inauguration will take place Monday at noon in the Capitol Rotunda due to the frigid temperatures that are forecast. Then Trump, only the second president in history to win non-consecutive terms, will deliver his inaugural address.
Protesters take part in the “People’s March on Washington” in Washington, DC on Saturday (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Hours before the Trump family boarded the plane on Saturday, thousands of protesters took to the streets Washington, DCto protest.
The “People’s March”, originally called the ‘Women’s March’, it had three meeting locations, each defending a different cause.
Some topics included “gender justice,” democracy and immigration, and local issues in Washington.
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Protesters carried posters reading “Feminists vs. Fascists” and “People over Politics,” Fox News Digital reported.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this story.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
