Trump flew an Air Force plane to Washington while Biden stuck to tradition By Reuters

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (Reuters) – President-elect Donald Trump headed to Washington on Saturday ahead of his inauguration in a U.S. military plane supplied by U.S. President Joe Biden, as the outgoing president emphasized adherence to the traditional transfer rules.

Trump will arrive in Washington on Saturday night for celebrations to mark his return to office on Monday.

For the occasion, he ditched his navy and crimson “Trump Force One” he often flies in favor of a government plane sent by Biden to Florida. Biden has stressed to his officials that they must work with Trump’s transition team, a stark contrast to the last transition when Trump refused to attend the inauguration or acknowledge Biden’s victory.

The two planes sat on the tarmac at Palm Beach International Airport before Trump left on Saturday. Trump’s son Eric and Eric’s wife Lara boarded the private plane.

For his less than three-hour flight to Washington Dulles International Airport, Trump will fly aboard a specially configured Boeing (NYSE: ) 757-200 in the trademark blue and white colors and carrying the words “United States of America.”

His daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner were spotted boarding the plane on Saturday afternoon.

It is the same model aircraft that is called Air Force Two when flown by the vice president but is also used by the first lady, cabinet members and other high-ranking officials.

It is customary for presidents-elect to take such a government-provided plane to their inauguration, even without Biden.

In 2021, Biden planned to arrive by train but the plan was canceled after the Secret Service raised security concerns after thousands of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in a bid to overthrow his defeat in the election.

The Trump administration offered no plane and Biden ended up flying a private jet to Washington, according to a person familiar with the matter.