WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Thursday admitted, for the first time in his own words, that President-elect Joe Biden’s administration would take charge on Jan. 20.
Without mentioning Biden’s name, Trump in a nearly three-minute video said “a new administration will be inaugurated on January 20th.”
Trump, who had repeatedly vowed never to concede to Biden, shared the message a day after swarms of his supporters broke into the U.S. Capitol and derailed congressional proceedings to tally electors’ votes and confirm Biden’s win.
“Now tempers must be cooled, and calm restored. We must get on with the business of America,” Trump said in his first address to the nation following the riots that gripped Washington.
“My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power,” the president added.
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.
The president, who was blocked from Twitter for 12 hours on Wednesday, briefly spoke about the pandemonium 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 says in the video.
Those rioters descended on the Capitol building directly after Trump, at a rally outside the White House, heaped pressure on Vice President Mike Pence and other Republicans to attempt to overturn the election results.
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
“We want to go back and we want to get this right. Because we are going to have somebody in there that should not be in there and our country will be destroyed and we’re not going to stand for that,” Trump told his followers at that rally.
As protesters sieged 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.”
He did not condemn the violence and continued to falsely claim he won the election. Twitter later removed that tweet and locked the president’s account.
At least four people died, and dozens of injuries were reported, as a result of the invasion. The White House on Thursday expressed sympathy over the deaths and injuries.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
