'What a great feeling!' Trump returns to the White House

WASHINGTON - There's no place like home. And for Donald Trump, home is back in the White House after four tumultuous years.

"What a great feeling," Trump told reporters when asked how it felt to be back in the Oval Office on Monday."One of the better feelings I've ever had."

Trump acted as if he'd never left. Nor was there any mention of how he had left in disgrace after his supporters attacked the US Capitol in January 2021 trying to overturn his election defeat to Joe Biden.

Instead, the 78-year-old launched straight into an impromptu, 50-minute press conference in the symbolic heart of the US presidency.

But if it all felt familiar to the Republican billionaire, that was largely thanks to the work of an army of White House staff.

They had only around five hours to erase every trace of his Democratic predecessor and create Trump's Oval Office 2.0.

Trump wouldn't confirm reports of the return of the famed "Diet Coke button" -- a button on the desk that he would press during his first term to summon a glass of his favorite drink on a silver tray.

But signs of other changes were all around.

A portrait of George Washington hung over the fireplace as it did four years ago -- replacing Franklin D. Roosevelt who had occupied the spot under Biden -- along with one of the third US president, Thomas Jefferson.

A bust of British wartime leader Winston Churchill had also reportedly returned to its spot in the Oval, as it was in the first term.

The aim, as ever with the presidency, is to portray an image of might and dignity, and Trump seemed to think his staff had done just right.

"I just got here. My people came in, they have extraordinary decorators," said Trump, who has spent much of the last four years at his luxury Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and arrived in a freezing Washington on Saturday.

Pointing to the pictures of his predecessors, the 47th president said, "I can live with George Washington, I can live with Thomas Jefferson -- they took a very safe route."

However, Trump did have one surprise, underscoring just how quickly holders of the world's most powerful job pass the torch.

Asked if Biden had left him a traditional handover letter, Trump replied that he didn't know and checked inside the drawer of the historic Resolute Desk.

"Ooh!" Trump said, extracting a white envelope with the numbers "47" in Biden's handwriting. "It could have been years before we got it."

Despite Biden's gesture, Trump could not help lambasting his political rival as he kept talking.

"Does Biden ever do news conferences like this?" said the Republican, no doubt knowing full well that Biden was often shielded by White House staff and would only take a handful of questions.

For Biden and his staff, the day was a harsh reminder of the transitory nature of power.

Before he had even left, photos on the walls of the West Wing had been removed and moving trucks were in the driveway.

Officials from the Biden and Trump teams had awkward interactions on campus, like it was the first day of school.

Social media accounts, websites and even email fonts all changed along with the new administration.

Trump's return was above all a bitter pill to swallow for the man who had branded him a threat to democracy, and was forced to bow out of their 2024 rematch after a humiliating debate performance against his rival sparked concerns about his age.

Biden spent his last hours showing just what he thought of Trump, issuing pardons to aides and family members he feared would be prosecuted by the Republican.

But as Trump and his wife Melania arrived for a pre-inauguration cup of tea with Biden and his wife Jill, the 82-year-old did his best to hide his feelings.

"Welcome home," he said. - AFP