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WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump said on Friday he would not attend the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on January 20, canceling his message a day earlier that he would work to ensure a “transition of power smooth, orderly and transparent ”to his successor.
Trump has offered no clue as to how he will spend his final hours in office and will be the first incumbent since Andrew Johnson to skip his successor’s swearing-in. Traditionally, incoming and outgoing presidents travel together to the United States Capitol for the ceremony, a symbol of the nation’s peaceful transition.
Trump’s comments come two days after a violent mob of his supporters occupied the Capitol for several hours as lawmakers counted the election votes that certified Biden’s victory. Biden will become president at noon on January 20, regardless of Trump’s plans.
“To everyone who has asked the question, I will not be going to the inauguration on January 20,” Trump tweeted. The move was widely expected, as Trump falsely claimed election victory for months and promulgated baseless allegations of voter fraud. His own administration said the elections were fairly well organized.
Vice President Mike Pence was scheduled to attend the inauguration, according to someone close to him and familiar with the planning for the inauguration. But Pence spokesman Devin Malley said in a statement Friday that he and the second lady “have yet to make a decision about their presence.”
Biden’s transition team made no immediate comment on Trump’s announcement. But Jen Psaki, the president-elect’s new White House press secretary, said last month that Trump’s participation in the inauguration was not a priority for Biden.
On Thursday, 12 days into his tenure, Trump finally bowed to reality as there was increasing talk of trying to oust him early, acknowledging he would leave peacefully after Congress claimed defeat .
Trump released a White House video on Thursday condemning the violence perpetrated on his behalf the day before on Capitol Hill. Then, for the first time on camera, he admitted his presidency would come to an end soon – although he declined to mention Biden by name or to explicitly state that he lost.
“A new administration will be inaugurated on January 20,” Trump said in the video. “My goal now is to ensure a smooth, orderly and transparent power transition. This moment calls for healing and reconciliation. “
The next morning, however, Trump was back to his usual split. Instead of offering condolences to the deceased policeman of injuries sustained during the riot, Trump took to Twitter to congratulate the “great American patriots” who voted for him.
“They will not be looked down upon or treated unfairly in any way, form or form !!!” he tweeted.
Thursday night’s speech, which seemed intended to avoid discussions about an early forced eviction, came at the end of a day when the cornered president remained out of sight in the White House. Silenced some of his favorite internet communication lines, he has witnessed the resignation of several senior officials, including two cabinet secretaries.
And as officials sifted through the aftermath of the pro-Trump mob siege on the U.S. Capitol, there were more and more talks about impeaching him a second time as talks about invoking the 25th Amendment to oust him from the Oval Office continued.
The invasion of the Capitol building, a powerful symbol of national democracy, rocked Republicans and Democrats. They struggled to find the best way to contain the impulses of a president deemed too dangerous to control his own social media accounts, but who remains commander-in-chief of the world’s largest army.
“I’m not worried about the next election, I’m worried about the next 14 days,” said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of Trump’s staunchest allies. He condemned the president’s role in Wednesday’s riots and said: “If anything else happens, all options would be on the table.”
Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that “the President of the United States has instigated an armed insurgency against America.” She called him “a very dangerous person who should not continue in office.” It is urgent, an emergency of the greatest magnitude. “
She said in a statement to her colleagues on Friday that she spoke to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to prevent Trump from launching military actions or a nuclear strike.
“The situation of this unbalanced president could not be more dangerous and we must do all we can to protect the American people from their unbalanced assault on our country and our democracy,” she wrote.
Pelosi was also meeting with the Democratic House caucus on Friday to consider impeachment proceedings against the president for the second time. She and Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer also called on Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to force Trump out of office – although the urgency of that discussion between Cabinet members and staff diminished on Thursday.
The talks took place amid fears of what a desperate president might do in his final days, including speculation that Trump could incite more violence, make rash dates, issue ill-conceived pardons – y understood for himself and his family – or even trigger a destabilizing international incident.
Pence has not said publicly whether he will support the invocation of the 25th Amendment, but Democratic Senator Joe Manchin has said he does not think it is likely. “I just hear he’s not going in that direction,” he said, citing “my Senate shackles”.
The president’s video on Thursday – which was posted upon his return to Twitter after his account was restored – was a complete reversal of the one he had released just 24 hours earlier in which he said to the violent crowd: “We love you. You are very special. His refusal to condemn the violence sparked a wave of criticism, and in the new video he finally denounced the protesters’ “lawlessness and chaos”.
Aides said the video was also aimed at slowing the mass exodus of staff members and avoiding possible legal problems for Trump once he leaves office; White House attorney Pat Cipollone has repeatedly warned the president that he could be held responsible for inciting Wednesday’s violence.
As for his feelings upon leaving office, Trump told the nation that “serving as president has been the honor of my life” while hinting at a return to the public eye. He told supporters that “our incredible journey has only just begun.”
As Trump remained silent and seated in the Executive Mansion until Thursday evening, around him loyalists made their way to the exits, their departures – which were coming in two weeks anyway – moved to protest the management of the riot by the president.
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has become the first cabinet member to resign. Chao, married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, one of the lawmakers trapped on Capitol Hill Wednesday, said in a message to staff that the attack “has deeply troubled me in a way that I cannot quite do. just don’t put it aside.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos followed. In his resignation letter Thursday, DeVos accused Trump of inflaming tensions during the violent assault on the National Democracy headquarters. “There is no doubt about the impact of your rhetoric on the situation, and this is the inflection point for me,” she wrote.
Others who resigned in the wake of the riot: Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Pottinger; Ryan Tully, Senior Director for European and Russian Affairs at the National Security Council; and First Lady Melania Trump’s Chief of Staff, Stephanie Grisham, a former White House press secretary.
Mick Mulvaney, the former chief of staff turned Trump’s special envoy to Northern Ireland, told CNBC he called Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “to let him know that I was resigning.” … I can not do it. I can not stay.
“Those who choose to stay, and I’ve spoken with some of them, choose to stay because they fear the president will put someone worse off,” Mulvaney said.
Mulvaney’s predecessor as chief of staff, retired United States Marine Corps General John Kelly told CNN “I think Cabinet should meet and have a discussion.” on Section 4 of the 25th Amendment – allowing Trump’s forced withdrawal by his own Cabinet.
Staff-level discussions on the matter have taken place in several departments and even parts of the White House, according to two people briefed on the talks. But no cabinet member has publicly expressed support for the move.
In the West Wing, assistants shocked by the shells were packing their bags, acting on a delayed directive to start leaving their posts before Team Biden arrived.
The president has asked his aides to explore a possible memorial trip next week to the southern border as a way to highlight his immigration policy.
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Lemire reported from New York. Associated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed reporting from Washington.
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