Washington, Jan 26 (PTI) US' former President Donald Trump will "always and forever be a champion" for the American people, said his office, which started functioning from Palm Beach in Florida.

Hours before US President Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20, Trump left the White House along with his wife Melania to begin his post-presidential life at his palatial Mar-a-Lago golf club in Palm Beach.

“Today, the 45th President of the United States, Donald J Trump, formally opened the Office of the Former President,” a media statement said on Monday night.

“President Trump will always and forever be a champion for the American People,” it said, marking the first official statement Trump has made since departing the White House.

According to the statement, the office will be responsible for managing the former president's correspondence, public statements, appearances and official activities to advance the interests of the US and to carry on the agenda of the Trump administration through advocacy, organising and public activism.

Trump was banned from Twitter and other prominent social media platforms, including YouTube and Instagram, for inciting his supporters, who stormed the Capitol on January 6 to stop Congress from certifying Biden's victory.

The House of Representatives impeached Trump, 74, for a historic second time on a charge of incitement of insurrection on January 13, a week before his term expired.

On Monday, the House sent the article of impeachment against Trump to the Senate, which reached an agreement to start the trial on February 8.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)