Trump wishes Biden luck without naming him in farewell video
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump offered 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 Tuesday afternoon. “We extend our best wishes. And we also want them to have luck. A very important word.”
Trump, who spent months trying to delegitimize President-elect Joe Biden’s win with claims of mass voter fraud, referenced the “next administration,” but declined to say Biden’s name. Many of Trump’s supporters continue to believe 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 those claims.
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 is expected to include names unfamiliar to the American public — regular people who have spent years languishing in prison — as well as politically connected friends and allies like those he’s pardoned in the past.
Trump spent much of the address celebrating what he sees as his top achievements, including efforts to normalize 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 the Capitol building was stormed earlier this month.
Last week he traveled to Texas for one last photo opportunity at the border wall he pushed so adamantly throughout his presidency. He spent less than 45 minutes on the ground there and spoke 21 minutes.
Trump is set to leave Washington early Wednesday morning and has been planning a grand farewell event at nearby Joint Base Andrews. Once there, he will 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.