The White House announced the abrupt change in the president's schedule late on Wednesday, hours after Republican Senator Josh Hawley said he will raise objections next week when Congress meets to affirm President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the November election.

It's a futile attempt to remain in power that Trump has been pushing following the failure of scores of legal challenges to the election outcome by his campaign, including at the Supreme Court.

The schedule change means Trump will miss the glitzy New Year's Eve party held annually at his private Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach.

Neither Trump nor the White House explained why he decided to shorten a vacation that had been expected to end on Friday.

Trump, accompanied by his wife, Melania, arrived at his Mar-a-Lago home after dark on December 23 and spent practically the entire vacation focused on the futile attempt to overturn the election he lost to Biden.

That includes the effort to have Republican lawmakers challenge the vote when Congress meets on January 6 to affirm Biden's 306-232 win in the Electoral College.

A group of Republicans in the Democratic-controlled House already had said they will object on Trump's behalf during the January 6 count of electoral votes. They needed at least one senator to join them to force votes in both chambers, and Hawley stepped up.

The GOP objections, however, will not prevent Biden from being sworn in as president on January 20, and Senator Kamala Harris from becoming vice president.

Australian Associated Press