Trump admits election defeat in video on violence on Capitol Hill

President Trump first acknowledged that a new administration would take over on January 20 in a video released Thursday evening. The video comes after lawmakers called for invoking the 25th amendment and remove him from office, following Wednesday’s assault by his supporters on the US Capitol that left four civilians dead.

“A new administration will be inaugurated on January 20,” Mr. Trump said. “My goal now is to ensure a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power. This moment calls for healing and reconciliation.”

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and at least one Republican has called on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Mr. Trump from office. Some Cabinet officials discussed the possibility of invoking the 25th Amendment following the crisis on Capitol Hill, CBS News reported, but those discussions had not resulted in a formal presentation to the vice president on Wednesday evening.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Thursday that he forbids Mr. Trump to use Facebook or Instagram during the remainder of his presidency.

“The shocking events of the past 24 hours clearly demonstrate that President Donald Trump intends to use his remaining time to undermine the peaceful and legal transition of power to his elected successor, Joe Biden,” Zuckerberg said .

Meanwhile, two members of Mr. Trump’s cabinet have resigned following the siege on Capitol Hill, as well as several other White House officials who have resigned with less than two weeks left on the job. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, said she would actually resign On Monday, saying what happened on Wednesday “deeply troubled me in a way that I just cannot put aside.”

Questions still remained Thursday on the response of the police. A spokesperson for the Capitol Police has confirmed that Police Chief Steven Sund will step down as of January 17.

And Mr. Trump said in his video Thursday that he “immediately deployed” the National Guard, although he did not. A senior administration official told CBS News that the DC National Guard was activated on Wednesday after Pence contacted Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller. While Mr. Trump has the power to immediately activate the National Guard, Pence does not – but shortly after Pence’s call with military chiefs, the National Guard arrived.

The violence drove members of Congress to flight, and Congress retreated for nearly six hours before returning to complete the Electoral College count.