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Trump States He Will Not Be Going To Biden’s Inauguration
U.S. President Donald Trump said he will not go to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. This will make him the first outgoing president to not attend the inauguration of his successor since 1869.
On Friday, Trump said on Twitter, “To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th.
To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2021
Apart from Trump, three other former presidents have also skipped the inauguration of their successors. These include presidents John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Andrew Johnson.
A day before this announcement, the president — who legally challenged last year’s election results but failed — said that “a new administration” will start on Jan. 20. He said he is focusing on how to make sure the transition is “smooth, orderly and seamless.”
“This moment now calls for healing and reconciliation.”
The president’s statement came a few days after he delivered a speech during a rally on Wednesday. He told his supporters that he would “never concede” during the said rally. He also repeated claims that he won the 2020 elections but that it was “stolen” from him.
At the same rally, he pressured Vice President Mike Pence once again to object to the certification of Biden’s win. He said, if Pence did this, he would remain president for another term.
Mob Storms the Capitol
Trump’s speech on Wednesday happened just a few hours before the joint Congress session that certified the election results.
While the session went on, the president’s supporters started a protest which quickly turned into a riot. Thousands of pro-Trump supporters broke through police lines and entered the doors of the Capitol building. This caused Congress to call for a recess and evacuate the premises.
As per the Washington DC police, the riot resulted in five deaths, including a woman who had been shot inside the building and a police officer. The police also ended up arresting more than 70 people.
While the storming of the Capitol building raged on, Trump posted a video on Twitter. In it, he asked his supporter to “go home” in an effort to quell the chaos. However, in this video, he still maintained that the recent election was “stolen” from him.
He said: “I know your pain, I know your hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us. It was a landslide election and everyone knows it, especially the other side.”
“This was a fraudulent election, but we can’t play into the hands of these people,” Trump also said. “We have to have peace,” the president reiterated.
“So go home, we love you, you're very special, you’ve seen what happens, you’ve seen the way others are treated that are so bad, so evil. I know how you feel. … But go home and go home in peace.”
After he posted the video, he wrote a post on Twitter, saying: “These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & peace.”
However, he added: “Remember this day forever!”
Trump Criticized
Both Republicans and Democrats criticized the president for not denouncing the violence and chaos the mobbed caused. It resulted in the resignation of multiple high-profile administration officials. These include Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
On Wednesday night, after the Capitol has been secured, Congress continued the session and certified the results on early Thursday. This formally gave Biden his victory.
On Thursday morning, a statement from Trump was posted by White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino. The president said: “Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th.”
“I have always said we would continue our fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted,” Trump went on to say. “While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it's only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again!”
Statement by President Donald J. Trump on the Electoral Certification:
“Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th. I have always said we would continue our…
— Dan Scavino🇺🇸🦅 (@DanScavino) January 7, 2021
Trump Condemns Riots
On Thursday night, the president returned to his social media accounts after being blocked by Twitter and Facebook the day before. He posted another video, in which he condemned the storming of the capitol. In the video, he once again called for healing.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2021
However, on Friday morning, Trump tweeted: “The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future.”
He added: “They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!”
The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2021
In the wake of the attack on the Capitol, Democrats and a number of Republicans asked Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment. If used, it will remove Trump from office just days ahead of Biden’s inauguration as President. The same group also said that if Pence and the Cabinet fail to do so, Congress should not hesitate to impeach Trump again.
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