UNITED States President Donald Trump confirmed Friday what has been suspected for weeks: He will not attend Joe Biden’s inauguration later this month.
“To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the inauguration on January 20th,” he announced on Twitter.
Trump’s decision to skip Biden’s swearing-in ceremony comes after weeks of his refusing to acknowledge that Biden defeated him in the Nov. 3 election.
Trump finally acknowledged his loss in a video on Thursday, saying a new administration will take office Jan. 20.
Trump isn’t the first outgoing president to skip his successor’s inauguration. John Adams, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Johnson did not attend their successors’ inaugurations. Richard Nixon left the White House after resigning and did not attend Gerald Ford’s swearing-in.
After reports Thursday that Vice President Mike Pence was expected to attend the inauguration, spokesman Devin O’Malley tweeted: “You can’t attend something you haven’t received an invitation to.”
But a spokeswoman for Biden’s inaugural committee said Pence is “of course invited to attend the Inaugural.” She said the president and vice president traditionally do not receive formal invitations. Attendance is coordinated at a staff level “and that is taking place,” the spokeswoman said.
Pence and his wife “have yet to make a decision regarding their attendance,” O’Malley said Friday.
Biden’s inauguration will be a scaled-down event because of the health risks posed by the coronavirus pandemic. Tickets to the swearing-in ceremony will be limited. The traditional parade down Pennsylvania Avenue will be replaced by a virtual parade that will be televised.
– USA Today
