Former President George W. Bush, who grew to become one of many first key Republicans to acknowledge the electoral victory of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. in November, will attend Mr. Biden’s inauguration later this month — at the same time as President Trump and his G.O.P. allies refuse to simply accept the outcomes.
A spokesman for Mr. Bush, the one different residing Republican president, introduced on Tuesday night time that Mr. Bush and former first girl Laura Bush would journey to Washington for the Jan. 20 ceremony.
“I consider this would be the eighth inauguration they’ve had the privilege of attending — President Trump’s being the latest — and witnessing the peaceable switch of energy is a trademark of our democracy that by no means will get previous,” the spokesman, Freddy Ford, mentioned on Twitter.
On the identical day that Mr. Bush’s workplace confirmed that he’ll attend Mr. Biden’s swearing-in, a spokeswoman for the oldest residing former president, Jimmy Carter, mentioned on Tuesday that the Democrat would miss the inaugural.
“President and Mrs. Carter won’t journey to Washington for the inauguration however have despatched their finest needs to President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris and look ahead to a profitable administration,” Deanna Congileo, a spokeswoman for the Carter Middle, mentioned in an e mail on Tuesday night time.
Touring to Washington for the ceremony, one which has been considerably scaled again due to the coronavirus pandemic, would doubtless pose a substantial danger to the 96-year-old Mr. Carter.
In 2019, Mr. Carter underwent surgical procedure for a damaged hip after a fall at his house and wanted stitches above his forehead later that yr after one other fall.
In 2015, Mr. Carter introduced that he was most cancers free after present process remedy for metastatic melanoma that had unfold to his mind.
4 years in the past, Mr. Carter, whom the Atlanta Journal-Structure reported has attended each inauguration since his personal in 1977, went to Mr. Trump’s swearing-in ceremony.
It was nonetheless unclear whether or not Mr. Trump would attend Mr. Biden’s inauguration.