Trump says he won’t attend Joe Biden’s inauguration
President Trump said Friday he won’t attend President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20 after admitting defeat in the wake of his supporters storming the US Capitol.
Trump tweeted, “To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th.”
Vice President Mike Pence, however, is expected to attend, according to reports.
Some Republicans are urging Trump to change his mind for a seamless transition of power that is a hallmark of the United States.
“I am urging the President to reconsider his decision to skip the inauguration,” Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said in a statement.
“I plan to attend and believe it is an important tradition that demonstrates the peaceful transfer of power to our people and to the world,” Scott said.
Only three presidents skipped their successor’s inauguration. Most recently, outgoing President Andrew Johnson skipped incoming President Ulysses S. Grant’ inauguration in 1869. In the early 1800s, President John Adams and his son President John Quincy Adams skipped their successors’ inaugurations after losing re-election.
Trump confirmed he won’t go to the pared-down celebration after accepting his own defeat in a Thursday video following the violent break-in at the Capitol by his supporters seeking to prevent certification of Biden’s win.
“My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power,” Trump said in that video.
The inaugural festivities will be much smaller than usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden urged his supporters not to travel to DC and the traditional parade on Pennsylvania Avenue was scrapped in favor of a “virtual” parade.
Trump spoke to thousands of supporters on Wednesday near the White House and urged them to march on the Capitol to ensure legislators voted for him, rather than Biden. The mob violence triggered calls for Trump to step down, and two cabinet members resigned over it.
Five people died in the Capitol break-in, including US Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, 42, who reportedly was bludgeoned with a fire extinguisher.
Trump supporter and Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, 35, was fatally shot by an officer while attempting to break through a barricaded interior window. Trump supporter Roseanne Boyland, 34, collapsed in the Rotunda and may have been trampled to death, her family told the Daily Mail. Trump supporter Kevin Greeson, 55, reportedly died from a heart attack and Benjamin Phillips, 50, reportedly had a stroke.