President says he will not attend Biden’s inauguration

Remains unclear if Vice- President Pence will go to ceremony

President Donald Trump, who begrudgingly recognized his defeat less than two weeks before he was due to leave office, announced on Twitter that he would not be attending presidentelect Joe Biden’s inauguration Jan. 20.

His statement, while a surprise to no one, nonetheless is another break with tradition that undermines the ceremonial demonstration of a core democratic value Trump has virulently disregarded since the election: the peaceful transfer of power between administrations.

It remains unclear if VicePresident Mike Pence will attend the ceremony, which is expected to take place under heightened security after the deadly siege of the Capitol this week and with heavy precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

On Friday, Biden addressed Trump’s decision to skip the event saying, “It’s a good thing, him not showing up.”

But he said that Pence was welcome and that it would help the transition.

Trump’s plan also raises the issue of departure from Washington. Before the Christmas break, rumours swirled that Trump would not return from his gilded golf compound at Mar- a- Lago in Florida, but he flew back in time to briefly disrupt passage of the coronavirus relief package and to whip up his supporters before Wednesday’s attack on the Capitol. ( Trump has faced opposition from local officials over his plans to expand the Florida resort.)

The president quietly made plans to take a trip next week to the southwestern border to highlight his hard- line immigration policies, which have inflamed Washington over the years, according to a person briefed on the planning.

Trump also told his advisers he wanted to give a media exit interview, which they presumed might undercut any conciliatory notes. But the first family has discussed leaving the White House for good Jan. 19, the day before the inauguration.

Pence has signalled his willingness to attend the inauguration, an administration source said but said that he had yet to receive a formal invitation.

President Barack Obama, who acknowledged Trump’s victory immediately after his win and oversaw a detailed transition plan that was ignored by the incoming president, attended Trump’s inaugural. Michelle Obama described listening to his “American carnage” inauguration speech as one of the most excruciating experiences of her life.

Only three presidents have skipped their successor’s swearing- in: John Adams in 1801; his son John Quincy Adams in 1829; and Andrew Johnson, a Democrat who sat out the 1869 inauguration after he was replaced in favour of Republican Ulysses S. Grant.