Trump pulls parting punches
Donald Trump offered rare, kind words to his successor in a farewell video, while failing to address him by name, as he spent his final full day in office preparing to issue a flurry of pardons in a near-deserted White House, surrounded by an extraordinary security presence outside.
‘‘This week we inaugurate a new administration and pray for its success in keeping America safe and prosperous,’’ Trump said in the video ‘‘farewell address’’, released by the White House yesterday. ‘‘We extend our best wishes. And we also want them to have luck. A very important word.’’
Trump, who spent months trying to delegitimise Joe Biden’s win with baseless allegations of mass voter fraud, declined to utter Biden’s name.
Many of Trump’s supporters continue to believe that the election was stolen from him, even though a long list of judges, Republican state officials and even Trump’s own government have said there is no evidence to support that claim.
Trump was also expected to spend his final hours granting clemency to as many as 100 people, according to two people briefed on the plans. The list of pardons and commutations was expected to include politically connected friends and allies like those he’s pardoned in the past.
Trump spent much of the address trumpeting what he sees as his top achievements, including efforts to normalise relations in the Middle East, the development of coronavirus vaccinations, and the creation of a new Space Force. ‘‘ We did what we came here to do – and so much more,’’ he said in the nearly 20-minute address.
Trump has remained largely out of sight since his supporters stormed the Capitol building earlier this month, trying to halt the peaceful transfer of power. He has not been seen in public since last week, when he travelled to Texas for one last photo opportunity at the border wall he pushed so adamantly throughout his presidency.
Trump was due to leave Washington at 2am today NZ time, and had planned a grand farewell event at nearby Joint Base Andrews.
There, he was to board Air Force One for a final time, flying to Florida and becoming the first outgoing president in more than a century to skip the inauguration of his successor.