U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a meeting in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, June 15, 2020.
Doug Mills | NYTimes | Getty Images
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday said that he will not attend the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, who will take charge in less than two weeks.
Trump is not the first outgoing president to skip the inauguration of his successor. Presidents John Adams, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Johnson did not attend the inauguration of the incoming president, according to the White House Historical Association.
“To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th,” Trump wrote in a tweet, the third message from his account since blocked from Twitter for 12 hours on Wednesday.
Biden’s victory was projected by all major news outlets in mid-November and confirmed by Electoral College votes in mid-December. The Republican president has falsely insisted he won in a “landslide,” asserting his reelection was stolen through massive electoral fraud.
His refusal to accept the election results culminated in a deadly riot on Wednesday, when swarms of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol and derailed congressional proceedings to tally electors’ votes and confirm Biden’s win in the Nov. 3 election.
Vice President Mike Pence is expected to attend Biden’s inauguration if he is invited, two people familiar with the matter told NBC News.
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who attended Trump’s inauguration, are planning to attend Biden’s inauguration on January 20, according to a spokesman for the Clintons. Former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush have also said they will attend. The Bushes attended former President Barack Obama and Trump’s first inaugurations.
Former President Jimmy Carter will not attend due to Covid-19 and health conditions, according to a spokesperson. Carter, 96, is the oldest living president. Carter and former first lady Rosalyn Carter previously traveled for Obama’s and Trump’s inaugurations.
Trump’s decision to not attend Biden’s inauguration comes one day after he conceded the presidential election.
In a nearly three-minute video posted on Thursday, Trump, without mentioning Biden by name acknowledged that “a new administration will be inaugurated on January 20th.”
“My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power,” the president said, in his first address to the nation following the riot at the U.S. Capitol.
“Now tempers must be cooled, and calm restored. We must get on with the business of America,” Trump said of the pandemonium that occurred at the U.S. Capitol.
“To those who engaged in the acts of violence and destruction, you do not represent our country. And to those who broke the law, you will pay,” Trump said.
The violence that unfolded left five people dead, including a Capitol police officer. The White House on Thursday offered condolences for the deaths.
Trump, during a rally outside the White House on Wednesday, had encouraged thousands of supporters to march to the Capitol to protest what historically have been ceremonial proceedings.
As protesters besieged the Capitol, Trump, who had returned to the White House after his speech told supporters in a tweeted video “you have to go home now.” The president stopped short of condemning the violence.
Pro-Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol following a rally with President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Samuel Corum | Getty Images
On the heels of the violence that gripped Washington, Pentagon and local Washington, D.C., officials played the blame game over why National Guard troops were not immediately available to support U.S. Capitol Police.
Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy, who has jurisdiction over the D.C. Guard, said Thursday that prior to the riot, law enforcement and Defense officials had received contradictory information.
“There were estimates of 80,000 there were estimates around 20 to 25. So getting back to just the pure intelligence, it “was all over the board,” McCarthy said when asked about preparations for crowd control.
“It was very hard to make that determination of what you’re dealing with,” he told reporters, adding that the Defense Department relied on law enforcement threat assessments.
Pentagon officials also said they approved requests from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in a timely manner.
In contrast, Bowser said that restrictions imposed by the Pentagon on how the troops could be used hampered her ability to deploy forces quickly as conditions deteriorated.
Trump in Thursday’s video said he “immediately” deployed members of the National Guard to the Capitol to contain the unrest. But The New York Times reported that the president had initially rejected requests to mobilize those troops.
DC National Guard troops stand watch at the U.S. Capitol on January 08, 2021 in Washington, DC. Fencing was put up around the building the day before, following the storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters on January 6.
John Moore | Getty Images
Through the weekend, 6,200 National Guard personnel will deploy to the nation’s capital and remain in the region for at least 30 days. The month-long mobilization ensures that the National Guard members will be on hand for the Jan. 20 inauguration of Biden.
The troops, who are unarmed, will monitor traffic control points and provide support to law enforcement as authorities work to secure the perimeter surrounding the Capitol Building. The Department of Justice is the lead federal agency overseeing security measures, not the Defense department.
It is typical for the National Guard to be present for inaugurations, and more than 7,000 troops were mobilized for Trump’s inauguration in 2017.
