A small crowd of supporter gather to watch Donald Trump and Melania Trump before they depart Washington DC. Photo / AP
As former President Donald Trump left the White House and Washington DC for Florida this morning, there was one thing news broadcasters couldn't help but notice.
The size of the crowd.
CNN correspondent Jim Acosta described the crowds at Donald Trump's depature as "definitely the smallest crowd size of the Trump presidency".
While NBC's political director Chuck Todd was "flabbergasted" at the size of the crowd, or lack thereof.
"He knows he is leaving a pariah, and nobody wants to be seen with him. And, that is not something that sits well with Donald Trump," he told NBC News.
AP news described the crowd size as "a sign of the ongoing challenge Trump poses".
"The crowd was a sign of the ongoing challenge Trump poses to a Republican Party whose Washington leaders have all but shunned him since his supporters violently stormed the Capitol on January 6 in a bid to overturn the results of a democratic election.
"But Trump retains his iron grip on the Republican base, with the support of millions of loyal voters and allies still helming the Republican National Committee and many state party organisations."
When leaving the White House Trump told a small crowd gathered on the lawn: "It has been a great honour, the honour of a lifetime."