Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America reporter

The last US president to skip his successor’s inauguration was the once-impeached Andrew Johnson, who served a single term immediately after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the conclusion of the nation’s devastating civil war.

Now Donald Trump - who has spent the past four years breaking norms and traditions, and battling his own impeachment charges and presiding over a year of unrest culminating in an assault on the US Capitol by an angry mob of his supporters - will do likewise.

Instead of being seen off by a joint assembly of the nation’s leading politicians at the US Capitol following Joe Biden’s swearing in, Trump and his wife are walking down a red carpet at the White House to an awaiting helicopter, his departure memorialised only by a small crowd of reporters.

The Marine One helicopter has landed on the White House lawn to pick up Donald Trump.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

The tight security around the US Capitol is a reaction to the Capitol riot on 6 January that left five people dead.

But in the world of pro-Trump conspiracy theorists, there’s a completely different - and completely wrong - explanation for the security measures.

Followers of the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory, whose members were among those that stormed the Capitol, have been sharing false or doctored images and videos of the fencing with bogus claims that it is in fact a “military prison” which will be used to “entrap” Mr Biden and other officials.

It’s a fringe view. Many of Mr Trump’s supporters seem resigned to the reality that Mr Biden’s inauguration will take place today.

Some, however, are calling for a “boycott” of the proceedings – urging people not to watch the ceremony in silent protest against what they see as a “fraudulent” election.

Read more: What are far-right Trump supporters saying?

Image source, Getty Images

Among his other legacies, Trump is leaving the White House as the only president to be impeached twice.

His latest impeachment happened last week after a vote in the US House of Representatives.

He stands accused of inciting a riot at the US Capitol on 6 January, which left five people dead, including a police officer.

Trump now faces a trial in the Senate, which will take place after he leaves office. If convicted, senators could also vote to bar him from ever holding public office again.

Control of the Senate is evenly divided between Trump's Republican party, and Biden's Democrats, but a two-thirds majority is needed to convict, meaning at least 17 Republican senators would need to vote with the Democrats

The outgoing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has worked in lockstep with the president throughout his term. But this week Mr McConnell publicly accused Mr Trump of provoking the Capitol riots and has left open the possibility that he himself would vote against his fellow Republican.

When will Trump go on trial in the Senate?

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier we reported that Mr Trump had spent his last few hours in office issuing more than 140 pardons and commutations.

But in a move that's received less publicity, the outgoing president has also revoked his own executive order on government lobbying.

Executive Order 13770 bans government workers from becoming lobbyists for five years after the end of their employment.

President Trump signed it in 2017, and its withdrawal could open up employment opportunities for any outgoing staff.

President-elect Joe Biden, though, has his own plans to limit the so-called "revolving door" between government, lobbying groups and consultants.

According to the Washington Post, one would be a ban on senior appointees accepting special bonuses from former employers for joining the government.

Kerry Allen
BBC Monitoring, Chinese Media Analyst

China’s media haven’t been shy about telling the world that they’re glad to see the back of Trump and his team.

The official Xinhua News Agency made that crystal clear today with a tweet saying “good riddance, Donald Trump!”, external

The national Global Times newspaper also featured a damning commentary on how “China has learned from Trump’s presidency that we should not have too many expectations or unrealistic illusions about future China-US relations.”, external

Officials have offered particularly scathing criticism on outgoing Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo. In today’s regular foreign ministry briefing, spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that “all of the poisonous lies spread by Pompeo will be swept, along with him, into the ‘rubbish dump of history’.”, external

But when asked whether she would miss him, she said “Of course. He brought us a lot of entertainment. Every day we got to see a big show.”, external

And Global Times notes that, love him or hate him, social media will be sad to see the back of President Trump. It says that “Donald Trump has become the most searched individual on Weibo, appearing 589 times on Weibo’s trending list in 2020, surpassing epidemic experts, online celebrities and popular heartthrobs.”, external

Image source, Reuters

It is not just presidential power that will change hands today - so too does the residency of the famed White House.

From deep cleaning to redecoration - the BBC's White House reporter, Tara McKelvey, has looked into the massive undertaking.

• Read more: How the White House gets ready for a new president

Dawn has broken over the US Capitol in Washington, where Joe Biden will be inaugurated later as the 46th US president.

For more images from Washington on inauguration day, click here.

Donald Trump is joining a small group of US presidents who have lost the election while in the White House.

The last time this happened was in 1992, when President George HW Bush was denied a second term by Bill Clinton.

Eight years later, incumbent Vice-President Al Gore was defeated by another Bush.

BBC News spoke to two men who witnessed the handover.

Video by Chloe Kim

Image source, EPA

This morning is the last time Donald Trump will wake up in the White House as US President.

He is due to leave the building in less than an hour.

He is breaking with longstanding presidential tradition by skipping his successor's inauguration.

Invitations have been issued, instead, for an early morning presidential send-off from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

Details of the ceremony are unclear, but guests were reportedly told to arrive by 07:15 local time (12:15 GMT), and an American-flag-laden stage has been set-up in advance.

According to his official schedule, President Trump and the First Lady will depart the White House for the final time at about 08:00 (13:00 GMT).

They will take their final flight on Air Force One from Maryland down to Mr Trump's Mar-A- Logo golf club in Palm Beach, Florida.

Then as per the US constitution, his presidency officially ends at 12:00 (17:00 GMT) when Joe Biden is sworn in.

Donald Trump won a surprise victory in 2016 partly because he promised to shake things up. He leaves office with two impeachments and the nation on edge. But his supporters say he kept his promises.

Let's look back.

Congressional leaders in the House and Senate, Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell, are both reportedly set to miss President Donald Trump's departure ceremony at Andrews Air Force Base this morning.

According to Axios, external and Punchbowl News, they will instead attend mass with President-elect Joe Biden before he is sworn in.

US media has been rife with speculation about who will attend Mr Trump's send-off, given he will skip the inauguration of his replacement.

There have been reports that even former administration figures whose relations with the president soured publicly - including former Chief of Staff John Kelly - received (and have declined) invites for the farewell.

Reality Check

Image source, Getty Images

In his farewell video address before leaving the White House, released on Tuesday, President Trump said that while in office he had done what he came to do.

We've fact-checked some of the claims he made about his record - covering topics such as the rapid production of Covid vaccines, the border wall with Mexico and the economy.

Read our full analysis here.

In some ways, today's inauguration will be much the same as previous ones - Mr Biden will take the oath of office on the steps of the Capitol and then make his way to the White House.

But with the event happening just two weeks after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol - and coming amid a global pandemic - there will be lots of differences.

Here's our in-depth, visual look at what measures have been put into place to deal with heightened concerns about security and Covid-19.

Image source, Getty Images

Ahead of the inauguration today, the FBI and US military have been vetting all the thousands of National Guard troops who are stationed in Washington to provide security.

As a result, 12 have been removed from their posts and sent home.

Gen Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard, told reporters that two were flagged for posting "inappropriate" comments and texts.

The other 10 Guard members were removed for questionable behaviour, including previous criminal behaviour. But Gen Hokanson said this didn't necessarily mean they had ties to extremists, and they were taken out of service "out of an abundance of caution".

It comes amid concerns that today's ceremony could be disrupted thanks to support from within government security forces.

Last week, the Virginia National Guard said one of its members, Jacob Fracker, an off-duty police officer, had been charged in connection with violent riots which erupted at the Capitol on 6 January.

Joshua Cheetham
BBC News

Image source, Louis S. Glanzman/White House Historical Association

While inaugural celebrations are comparatively muted this year, there’s one White House party that’s etched into Washington legend.

Back in 1829, as was custom at the time, President Andrew Jackson hosted an open reception at the White House for members of the public.

The event was usually a genteel affair, attended by the great and good of Washington society. But that year thousands of supporters gathered to celebrate with the so-called “outsider president” - a leader who presented himself as a “man of the people.”

With crowds swelling the rooms, things got quickly out of hand, and there are accounts of drunken fights breaking out and furniture being wrecked.

While the extent of the damage and ruckus is disputed, President Jackson’s staff were so concerned that they escorted him out of a window for his safety.

Revellers were also coaxed out of the building by tubs of liquor-filled punch moved onto the White House lawn.

Image source, Getty Images

Preparations for Joe Biden's inauguration are continuing apace in Washington - here a worker is seen hanging a presidential seal on the West Front of the US Capitol.

As we reported earlier, President Trump has spent some of his final hours in office issuing pardons and commutations to over 140 people.

It's a common practice for outgoing president - and a controversial one too.

While Trump's tally might sound high, it's much lower than most of his modern contemporaries, as our graphic shows.

Gerald Ford pardoned his predecessor Richard Nixon for all offences he may have committed, and Jimmy Carter pardoned most who had evaded the Vietnam War draft - both examples of pre-emptive pardons.

Bill Clinton, meanwhile, caused uproar when he pardoned scores of people on his last day in office, including his half-brother Roger.

How and why is clemency issued?

It is common for outgoing presidents to issue pardons before they leave the White House.

Alexander Hamilton proposed the system in 1787, arguing it could "restore the tranquillity of the commonwealth". It is carried in Article II of the Constitution.

The president can only act on federal, not state, crimes. A pardon cancels a criminal conviction, while a commutation shortens or ends a prison sentence.

Neil Smith
Entertainment reporter

Lady Gaga will sing the national anthem at the inauguration ceremony, a task undertaken by Beyonce Knowles and Jackie Evancho in 2013 and 2017 respectively.

On Tuesday the pop star paid a solemn visit to the Capitol to pray for "a day of peace for all Americans" under the building's famous dome.

Elsewhere in Washington DC, Jennifer Lopez found time to pose for a selfie with members of the National Guard.

"What an honor to spend a few moments with these brave men and women," wrote the singer, who will also perform during the ceremony.

Model Chrissy Teigen also made time for the military reservists after she and singer husband "got lost on the way to soundcheck, external".

Legend will be one of the performers on Celebrating America, a 90-minute TV show that will be shown on most major US networks and streaming platforms on Wednesday night.

As part of the huge package of executive action announced a short time ago, President-elect Biden's team say he will also take action to address equality and immigration:

• He will issue an executive order to address racial equity in federal policy-making and programs, in a measure aimed to help root out systemic racism. This will also directly undo Trump administration policies, including an order which saw diversity and inclusion training limited
• He will sign an executive action to end President Trump's controversial travel ban which restricted US entry from some Muslim-majority nations
• He will order a stop to all border wall construction on the US border with Mexico, pending a review of the legality of funding being used by the previous administration
• He will sign an executive order revoking a Trump plan to exclude undocumented migrants from the census and sign a memo to help fortify protections for "dreamers" - a scheme that shields young undocumented immigrants from deportation
• He will also sign an executive order to help prevent and combat discrimination - including in the workplace - on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation