President Trump, who begrudgingly acknowledged his defeat lower than two weeks earlier than he was on account of depart workplace, introduced on Tw
President Trump, who begrudgingly acknowledged his defeat lower than two weeks earlier than he was on account of depart workplace, introduced on Twitter that he wouldn’t be attending President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
His assertion, whereas a shock to nobody, nonetheless is one other break with custom that undermines the ceremonial demonstration of a core democratic worth Mr. Trump has virulently disregarded because the election — the peaceable switch of energy between administrations.
It stays unclear if Vice President Mike Pence will attend the ceremony, which is anticipated to happen beneath heightened safety after the lethal siege of the Capitol this week and with heavy precautions to stop the unfold of the coronavirus.
On Friday, Mr. Biden addressed Mr. Trump’s resolution to skip the occasion saying, “It’s an excellent factor, him not exhibiting up.” However he stated that Mr. Pence was welcome and that it might assist the transition.
Mr. Trump’s plan additionally raises the difficulty of departure from Washington. Earlier than the Christmas break, rumors swirled that Mr. Trump wouldn’t return from his gilded golf compound at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, however he flew again in time to briefly disrupt passage of the coronavirus aid package deal and to whip up his supporters forward of Wednesday’s assault on the Capitol.(Mr. Trump has confronted opposition from native officers over his plans to broaden the Florida resort.)
The president quietly made plans to make a journey subsequent week to the southwestern border to focus on his hard-line immigration insurance policies, which have infected Washington over time, in response to an individual briefed on the planning. He additionally informed advisers he needed to provide a media exit interview, which they presumed may undercut any conciliatory notes. However the first household has mentioned leaving the White Home for good on Jan. 19, the day earlier than the inauguration.
Mr. Pence has signaled his willingness to attend, an administration supply stated, however stated that he had but to obtain a proper invitation.
President Barack Obama, who acknowledged Mr. Trump’s victory instantly after his win and oversaw an in depth transition plan that was ignored by the incoming president, attended Mr. Trump’s inaugural. Michelle Obama described listening to his “American carnage” inauguration speech as some of the excruciating experiences of her life.
Solely three presidents have skipped their successor’s swearing-in: John Adams in 1801, his son John Quincy Adams in 1829 and Andrew Johnson, a Democrat who sat out the 1869 inauguration after he was changed in favor of Republican Ulysses S. Grant. (An earlier model of this merchandise incorrectly acknowledged Mr. Johnson’s political affiliation.)