US President Donald Trump said he will not be attending President-elect Joe Biden’s Inauguration on January 20, undercutting his message a day earlier that he would work to ensure a “smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power” to his successor.
Key points:
- Donald Trump will become the first US President since Andrew Johnson in 1869 to not attend his successor’s inauguration
- He did not elaborate or offer any clues on how he would spend his final hours in office
- Traditionally, the incoming and outgoing presidents ride to the US Capitol together for the ceremony
He will be the first sitting president since Andrew Johnson in 1869 to skip his successor’s inauguration.
“To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th,” Mr Trump tweeted, having just days ago been banned from the social media platform for 12 hours.
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Mr Trump offered no clues for how he would spent his final hours in office.
Traditionally, the incoming and outgoing presidents ride to the US Capitol together for the ceremony, as a symbol of the nation’s peaceful transition.
Mr Trump’s comments come two days after a violent mob of his supporters occupied the Capitol for several hours as Congressional member were tallying the electoral votes that certified Mr Biden’s victory.
Calls for a quick impeachment
Democrats are believed to be discussing whether to move forward with the quick impeachment of Mr Trump if his Cabinet doesn’t try to remove him first.
House Democrats are set to hold a caucus meeting today, the first since the harrowing events at the Capitol, and could take up articles of impeachment against Mr Trump as soon as next week.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi discussed the prospect of impeachment with her leadership team Thursday night (local time), hours after announcing the House was willing to act if Vice-President Mike Pence and other officials did not invoke Section 4 of the 25th Amendment — the forceful removal of Mr Trump from power by his own Cabinet.
Ms Pelosi said she had tried to reach Mr Pence to discuss the issue but could not contact him.
Five people are now dead from the violent riot, including police officer Brian Sicknick.
Ms Pelosi said in a statement that Mr Sicknick’s death “reminds us of our obligation to those we serve: to protect our country from all threats foreign and domestic”.
AP
