TRUMP WISHES NEW ADMINISTRATION LUCK IN FAREWELL VIDEO
Pardons Bannon, grants clemency to nearly 150
WASHINGTON — Trying to repair his tarnished legacy, President Donald Trump trumpeted his administration’s accomplishments and wished his successor luck in a farewell video 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 less than 24 hours before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. “We extend our best wishes. And we also want them to have luck — a very important word.”
Trump, who spent months trying to delegitimize Biden’s win with baseless allegations of mass voter fraud, repeatedly referenced the “next administration,” but declined to utter Biden’s name.
Bannon pardoned
Late Tuesday, it was revealed that Trump has pardoned former chief strategist Steve Bannon as part of a late flurry of clemency action benefiting nearly 150 people.
Bannon has been charged with duping thousands of investors who believed their money would be used to fulfill Trump’s campaign promise to build a wall along the southern border. Instead, he allegedly diverted over a million dollars, paying a salary to one campaign official and personal expenses for himself.
In his farewell address, Trump tried to cast his presidency as a triumph for everyday people as he highlighted 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. And he tried to defend the endless controversies that have consumed the last four years as justified.
“As president, my top priority, my constant concern, has always been the best interests of American workers and American families,” he said. “I did not seek the easiest course; by far, it was actually the most difficult. I did not seek the path that would get the least criticism. I took on the tough battles, the hardest fights, the most difficult choices because that’s what you elected me to do.”
Grand farewell planned, but Pence won’t be present
Trump is set to leave Washington early Wednesday morning after 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.
But it remains unclear how many people will be there to see him off. Several former administration officials-turned-Trump critics have expressed surprise that they received invitations. And even Vice President Mike Pence will be absent. A person familiar with his schedule cited the challenges of getting from the base back to D.C. for Biden’s inauguration ceremonies, which Pence will be attending.