Trump acknowledges defeat in Capitol violence video election

President Trump first acknowledged that a new government would take over on January 20 in a video released on Thursday night. The video was released after lawmakers asked to invoke the 25th amendment and remove him from office after the attack on Wednesday by his supporters on the United States Capitol, which left four civilians dead.

“A new administration will open on January 20,” said Trump. “My focus now is on ensuring a smooth, orderly and continuous transition of power. This moment requires healing and reconciliation.”

Mayor, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, minority leader in the Senate and at least one Republican led calls for Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Mr. Trump from office. Some Cabinet officials discussed the possibility of invoking the 25th Amendment after the Capitol crisis, CBS News reported, but those discussions did not result in a formal presentation to the vice president on Wednesday night.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Thursday that he is forbidding Mr. Trump from using Facebook or Instagram during the rest of his presidency.

“The shocking events of the past 24 hours clearly demonstrate that President Donald Trump intends to use his remaining time in office to undermine the peaceful and legal transition from power to his elected successor, Joe Biden,” said Zuckerberg.

Meanwhile, two members of the Trump Cabinet resigned as a result of the Capitol siege, along with several other White House officials who delivered their resignations, although they have less than two weeks left in their jobs. Transport Secretary Elaine Chao, who is married to Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, said she would be effectively waiving Monday, saying what happened on Wednesday “bothered me deeply in a way that I just can’t let go of.”

There were still doubts on Thursday about the authorities’ response. A Capitol police spokesman confirmed that Police Chief Steven Sund would step down as of January 17.

And Trump said in his video on Thursday that he “immediately deployed” the National Guard, although he did not. A senior government official told CBS News that the DC National Guard was activated on Wednesday after Pence contacted Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, and acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller. Although Mr. Trump has the power to immediately activate the National Guard, Pence does not – but right after Pence’s call to military leaders, the National Guard arrived.

The violence caused members of Congress to flee the floor, and Congress retreated for nearly six hours before returning to complete the Electoral College count.