In a widely expected move and breaking an over century-and-a-half old tradition, US President Donald Trump on Friday announced that he will not attend his successor Joe Biden’s swearing-in ceremony.
“To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th,” tweeted Trump, who faces uncertainty as calls for his removal gain ground ahead of his term in the wake of the violence at the Capitol on Wednesday.
His comments came less than 24 hours after he promised a “smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power” to his successor.
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If Trump follows through as promised, he will be the first incumbent President since Andrew Johnson (in 1869) to skip his successor’s swearing-in ceremony.
Trump, who had on Thursday grudgingly admitted that he would not be serving for a second term after claiming for long that fraud had deprived him of victory in the November 3 presidential elections, had not, however, even referred to Biden by name in it.
He has been under a cloud after a mob stormed the Capitol where a joint session of Congress to certify the electoral college votes was underway, forcing its delay for few hours and drawing widespread outrage from the country and the world. Four people were killed in the violence, while a police officer, who was severely injured, has now succumbed to his injuries.
In the wake of this, there have been calls for him to be impeached again or removed from office for inability. Long-time allies have deserted him, but Trump seems to remain determined to showcase his potential.
Earlier on Friday, he had tweeted: “The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!”