U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a meeting in Washington, DC, USA, on Monday, June 15, 2020.
Doug Mills | NYTimes | Getty Images
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said on Friday that he will not attend the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, who will take office in less than two weeks.
Trump is not the first outgoing president to skip the inauguration of his successor. Presidents John Adams, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Johnson did not attend the inauguration of the new president, according to the White House Historical Association.
“To all who asked, I will not be inaugurated on January 20,” wrote Trump in a tweet, the third message from his Twitter account since then blocked for 12 hours on Wednesday.
Biden’s victory was projected by all major media outlets in mid-November and confirmed by the votes of the Electoral College in mid-December. The Republican president falsely insisted that he won with an “overwhelming victory”, claiming that his re-election was stolen through mass electoral fraud.
His refusal to accept the election results culminated in a deadly uproar on Wednesday, when swarms of his supporters invaded the U.S. Capitol and disrupted Congressional procedures to register voter votes and confirm Biden’s victory in the 3 from November.
Vice President Mike Pence is expected to attend Biden’s inauguration if he is invited, two people familiar with the matter told NBC News.
Trump’s decision not to attend Biden’s inauguration comes a day after he granted the presidential election.
In a nearly three-minute video posted on Thursday, Trump, without mentioning Biden by name, acknowledged that “a new administration will open on January 20”.
“My focus now is on ensuring a smooth, orderly and continuous transition of power,” said the president, in his first speech to the nation after the riot that left five dead, including a Capitol police officer.
“Now tempers must be calmed and calm restored. We need to continue with America’s business,” said Trump of the pandemonium that occurred in the United States Capitol.
“For those who have been involved in acts of violence and destruction, you do not represent our country. And for those who have broken the law, you will pay,” said Trump.
Trump, during a rally outside the White House on Wednesday, encouraged thousands of supporters to march to the Capitol to protest what has historically been a ceremonial procedure.
While protesters besieged the Capitol, Trump, who had returned to the White House after his speech, told supporters in a tweeted video “you have to go home now.” The president never condemned the violence.
Pro-Trump supporters invade the United States Capitol after a demonstration with President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Samuel Corum | Getty Images
In the wake of the violence that hit Washington, the Pentagon and local Washington, DC, officials played several rounds of the blame game over why National Guard troops were not immediately available to support the US Capitol Police.
Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said on Thursday that before the turmoil, police and defense officials had received conflicting information.
“There were estimates of 80,000, there were estimates of around 20 to 25. So, going back to pure intelligence,” it was everywhere, “said McCarthy when asked about preparations for crowd control.
“It was very difficult to determine what you are dealing with,” he told reporters, adding that the Department of Defense relied on police threat assessments.