President Trump won’t attend Joe Biden’s inauguration

WASHINGTON» President Donald Trump said Friday he will skip President- elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20, undercutting his message a day earlier that he would work to ensure a “smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power.”

Trump, who offered no clues for how he would spend his final hours in office, will be the first incumbent president since Andrew Johnson not to attend his successor’s swearing- in. Traditionally, the incoming and outgoing presidents ride to the U. S. Capitol together for the ceremony, as a symbol of the nation’s peaceful transition. Former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, and George W. and Laura Bush have said they will attend.

The decision to skip the symbolic transfer of power came two days after a violent mob of Trump’s supporters occupied the Capitol for several hours as lawmakers were tallying the electoral votes that certified Biden’s victory. Biden will become president at noon on Jan. 20 regardless of Trump’s plans.

“To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th,” Trump tweeted. The move had been widely expected, as Trump for months falsely claimed victory in the election and promulgated baseless claims of voter fraud. His own administration said the election had been fairly run.

Sen. Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, urged Trump to reconsider.

“He is, of course, not constitutionally required to attend and I can imagine losing an election is very hard, but I believe he should attend. I plan to attend and believe it is an important tradition that demonstrates the peaceful transfer of power to our people and to the world,” he said in a statement.