what were the hours leading up to Trump’s surrender

With the blood of five dead In his hands, calls for his resignation, discussions on a possible impeachment, and resignation of his cabinet in chain, Donald Trump signed his defeat, teeth clenched.

Thirteen days after his term ended, the outgoing president finally accepted the reality that surrounds him and acknowledged that he would leave peacefully after Congress confirmed his defeat.

In a White House video, with at least two notable cut-outs, the president condemned the violence committed on his behalf on Capitol Hill. “They will pay,” he said in reference to the protesters who broke the law, when the day before he had told them he loved them. “They are special”, said.

“A new government will begin on January 20,” Trump said in the video. “My goal now is to ensure a smooth, orderly and smooth transition of power. This moment requires healing and reconciliation.”

The choreographed speech was designed to stifle discussions on a possible indictment. It came at the end of a day when the cornered president was out of public view to the White House. After being silenced on his favorite communication channels, he observed the resignations of several of his main allies, including those of two federal cabinet secretaries.

And as officials considered the aftermath of a host of Trump supporters taking over Capitol Hill, the discussion – still ongoing among Democrats – grew to impeach him a second time or invoke the 25th Amendment to impeach him.

The invasion of the Congress building, a powerful symbol of national democracy, rocked Republicans and Democrats. In the hours leading up to Trump’s video, the two sides fought over which one was the best way contain the impulses of a considered president Too dangerous to control his own social networks, but he is still the commander in chief of the most powerful army in the world.

“I am not worried about the next election, I am afraid I will spend the next 14 days,” said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, one of Trump’s staunchest allies. He condemned the president’s role in Wednesday’s riots, saying: “If anything else happens, All options are on the table. ”

Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said that “the President of the United States has instigated an armed insurgency against the United States”. She stressed that Trump was “a very dangerous person who should not stay in office. It is urgent, an emergency of capital magnitude. ”

None of the options for removing Trump from office seemed likely, given that there is little time left during his tenure to assemble the cabinet members needed to invoke the amendment or to organize the hearings and process necessary for an impeachment. But the fact that these drastic options were even discussed in Washington’s corridors of power, served as a warning for Trump.

“Desperate attempt to save an imploded presidency”, headlined this Friday morning the CNN network.

Fears of what a desperate president might do in his final days in office have spread throughout the nation’s capital and beyond. There was even speculation that Trump might incite more violence, make rash dates, issue reckless pardons – even for himself and his family – or even trigger an international incident unsettling.

The president’s video, which was posted on Thursday after his Twitter suspension ended, was completely different from the one he posted 24 hours earlier, in which he said to the violent crowd: “We love you. . They are very special. ”His refusal to condemn the violence sparked an avalanche of criticism, and in the new video he ultimately censored the“ lawlessness and chaos ”of the protesters.

Regarding his feelings about his departure, he told the nation that “being your president has been the honor of my life”, while also hinting at his return to the public eye. “Our incredible journey has only just begun,” he said.

Associated press

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