President Donald Trump reportedly now plans to leave Washington on the morning of Inauguration Day on Wednesday, after considering a departure on Tuesday.
Key points:
- The farewell could include a 21-gun salute
- Mr Trump is likely to be in Florida by the time Mr Biden is inaugurated at noon on Wednesday
- He will be the first sitting president to skip the ceremony since Andrew Johnson in 1869
Mr Trump, who had already said he would not attend president-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, was planning a ceremonial farewell at Joint Base Andrews, the base outside Washington where Air Force One is headquartered, multiple sources told Reuters.
The farewell could include a 21-gun salute, one source said.
The sources stressed that the plan could change. It was unclear whether Mr Trump would speak publicly on Wednesday.
Mr Trump would then fly on to Palm Beach, Florida, to begin his post-presidency at his Mar-a-Lago club, the sources told Reuters.
He was likely to be in Florida by the time Mr Biden was inaugurated at noon on Wednesday.
He will be the first sitting president since Andrew Johnson in 1869, who was the first US president to be impeached by the House, to skip his successor's inauguration.
Traditionally, the incoming and outgoing presidents ride to the US Capitol together for the ceremony as a symbol of the nation's peaceful transition.
Vice-President Mike Pence is expected to attend the inauguration.
Airline security tightened ahead of inauguration
The Transportation Security Administration said some people could face more thorough security checks or be barred from boarding a plane as part of additional security around the inauguration.
The TSA said in a statement that it was working with law enforcement agencies to conduct a risk assessment of "hundreds" of people. It did not say what criteria was used to determine who has been selected.
It comes more than a week after the January 6 storming of the US Capitol by his supporters in a bid to stop Congress from confirming Mr Biden's Electoral College victory. Five people died, including a Capitol Police officer.
Mr Trump had falsely said for weeks that the election was stolen from him. He was impeached earlier this week on a charge of incitement of an insurrection.
The TSA is also providing officers to help the Secret Service screen people along the parade route and attending Mr Biden's inauguration Wednesday.
The agency, which includes air marshals, also plans to boost security at airports around the country.
Trump leaving White House at a new low point
A handful of White House aides plan to work for Mr Trump in Palm Beach as the former real estate tycoon works on retaining his clout in the Republican Party.
Some advisers have been urging the President to host Mr Biden for a White House meeting ahead of Inauguration Day, but there was no sign Mr Trump was willing to do that, an administration official said.
Mr Trump, the only president in US history to be impeached twice, was planning to issue more pardons before leaving, according to sources who added that he had been considering the unprecedented option of pardoning himself.
A poll by the Pew Research Center indicated Mr Trump was leaving the White House with the lowest job approval of his presidency (29 per cent) and increasingly negative ratings for his post-election conduct.
Wires