Donald Trump announced Friday he won't be going to Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony on January 20th, while his remaining aides an...
Donald Trump announced Friday he won't be going to Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony on January 20th, while his remaining aides and allies have described him as a 'total monster' and 'mad King George' as his presidency marches to a close.
Trump has isolated himself his staff and the Republican Party, holed up in the Oval Office with a bunker mentality as aides pleaded with him to send a message of healing to the country in the aftermath of the MAGA mob storming Capitol Hill.
He's returned to Twitter after the social media network locked his account in the wake of his lackluster response to the riots in the Capitol.
He launched an tweet containing ALL CAPS to thank his supporters, calling them 'great American Patriots.'
'The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!,' he wrote.
And he announced, in an unprecedented break with historical tradition, that he will snub his successor on Inauguration Day.
'To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th,' he declared.
The last president not to attend his successor's swearing-in was President Andrew Johnson in 1869.
President Trump announced he will not attend Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20th
Trump's pronouncement came the day after he released a video acknowledging he lost the November election. It took many failed legal battles, an attack on Capitol Hill and Congress' certification of the electoral college vote to get the president to that point.
He and the first family will reportedly leave the White House on January 19th to go to his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
The Washington Post spoke to aides and allies who described Trump as 'psychologically fragile' and said daughter Ivanka is one of the few who can get through to him.
'A lot of people don't want to talk to him,' a senior administration official said. 'He's in a terrible mood constantly, and he's defensive, and everyone knows this was a horrible mistake.'
One administration official described Trump's behavior as that of 'a total monster.'
One ally called him 'mad.'
'He is alone. He is mad King George,' said one Republican in frequent touch with the White House. 'Trump believes that he has these people so intimidated they wouldn't dare mess with him. I think Trump doesn't understand how precarious his situation is right now.'
The descriptions came after aides spent hours convincing the president to denounce the MAGA mob that attacked Capitol Hill. They begged him to go on Fox News, to tweet, to make a statement.
Trump agreed to a video but he made ad libs to the script as he spoke, telling the rioters he 'loved' them but he did not specifically asking them to leave the Capitol.
But as more and more Republicans distanced themselves from him and talk began about removing him from office via the 25th amendment or the impeachment process, Trump released a second video statement denouncing the violence and acknowledging his election loss.
Trump's speech marked an astonishing change of tone. He admitted, in a rare encounter with reality, that 'there will be a new administration' come January 20th.
He also said this moment 'calls for healing.'
But despite the talk of healing, Trump plans to go to the United States border with Mexico next week to highlight his immigration policies, The New York Times reported.
It could be his last trip as president of the United States.
His hard line approach, and his border wall, has inflamed the debate around the issue and the president is not likely to back down from it.
The president last visited the border in June, when he went down during the presidential campaign to check on the progress of his wall.
It also was revealed Friday that Trump initially resisted taping his video message acknowledging his election loss but agreed to after the White House counsel warned him he could face legal charges for stoking the mob.
The Justice Department said Thursday it would not rule out pursuing charges against President Trump for his possible role in encouraging the insurgents that ransacked the Capitol, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake and four deaths, including a Capitol police officer.
'We are looking at all actors, not only the people who went into the building,' Michael Sherwin, the U.S. attorney in Washington, said at a press conference.
Trump agreed to the Thursday night statement after White House counsel Pat Cipollone warned him of the legal risk, The New York Times reported. Aides had been pressing the president to publicly denounce the pro-Trump mob.
And Cipollone is considering resigning, CNN reported, out of frustration with Trump and the president's bringing in conspiracy theorist lawyer Sidney Powell, who has argued voting machines changed votes from Trump to Joe Biden. Dominion Voting Systems is suing her for the false claims about their machines.
Despite a millionaire dollar, multi-lawyer effort, the Trump team was unable to provide evidence of mass voter fraud. Trump's own administration has said the election was legally conducted and done fairly. Biden won with 306 electoral votes to Trump's 232.
While the president's initial response to the MAGA mob was tepid, in his nearly 3 minute video remarks on Thursday night, Trump denounced the violence on Capitol Hill.
'To those who engage in the acts of violence and destruction: You do not represent our country. And to those who broke the law, you will pay,' he said.
But he also ended with a warm note for his supporters.
'To all of my wonderful supporters. I know you are disappointed, but I also want you to know that our incredible journey is only just beginning,' he said.
President Donald Trump initially resisted taping his video message acknowledging his election loss but agreed to after being warned he could face legal risk
White House counsel Pat Cipollone warned President Trump of legal danger and the Justice Department did not rule out charging him
The speech also marked his first acknowledgement he will not have a second term in the White House. Trump, however, did not say the word 'concede' nor acknowledge incoming president Biden, but merely said there be a 'new administration.'
Sitting presidents usually are not charged with crimes. Trump loses that protection in 12 days.
The Justice Department will lead the prosecution of those involved in the Capitol Hill attack since it handles cases for Washington D.C.
Trump has long stoked the fire of rage with the MAGA crowd, going back to his 2016 campaign when he demanded Hillary Clinton be locked up, a wall to be built to separate the United States from Mexico and his final false charge this year that the election was fraudulent.
Many Republicans denounced the president's actions, including former Attorney General Bill Barr, who told the Associated Press that 'orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress is inexcusable.'
Trump's video came after a day of disarray on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue.
After the attack on Capitol Hill, which left lawmakers and staff shaken, several Trump aides and two Cabinet secretaries quit, citing the president's lackluster initial response to the rioting at the Capitol.
Some Republican lawmakers, including those who were Trump allies, also turned on him.
All that pressure led to Thursday night's statement, where Trump blasted the 'heinous' attack and called for national 'healing' and an 'orderly' and 'seamless' transition to a new administration.
'I’d like to begin by addressing the heinous attack on the United States Capitol,' Trump said
'Like all Americans I am outraged by the violence, lawlessness and mayhem.
President Donald Trump released a short video where he blasted the 'heinous' attack and called for national 'healing' – and called for an 'orderly' and 'seamless' transition to a new administration
WASHINGTON: A crowd control fence was put up around Capitol Hill a day after the harrowing scenes in the U.S. Congress which stunned the world and left America's place as a beacon of democracy in tatters
WASHINGTON: The DC National Guard keeps order outside the Capitol on Thursday amid a dispute over who had called it up at the height of the insurrection the previous day
Trump tweeted the video after being banned from Twitter for dangerous rhetoric and as he faced new calls for his impeachment and for Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment.
Trump defended his own past claims of election fraud – but excused his most caustic rhetoric.
'We have just been through an intense election, and the motions are high, but now tempers must be cool and calm,' Trump said.
'This moment calls for healing and reconciliation,' said Trump, who spent years using his Twitter feed to attack his political rivals.
'Now, Congress has certified the results, and a new administration will be inaugurated on January 20. My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth orderly and seamless transition of power,' he said.
On a day when top Democratic leaders accused him of fomenting 'insurrection,' Trump described his election challenges seeking to overturn the results as a plan to protect democracy itself – despite Biden beating him by millions of votes.
'My campaign vigorously pursued every legal avenue to contest the election results. My only goal was to ensure the integrity of the vote. And so doing I was fighting to defend American democracy,' Trump said.
After encouraging his supporters to 'fight' and sending them to the Capitol, he blasted those who invaded the Capitol for 'lawlessness and mayhem.'
'The demonstrators who infiltrated the Capitol have defiled the seat of American democracy,' he said.
'To those who engage in the acts of violence and destruction. You do not represent our country. And to those who broke the law, you will.'
'Now, Congress has certified the results, and new administration will be inaugurated on January 20. My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth orderly and seamless transition of power,' he said
An explosion caused by a police munition is seen while Trump supporters gather in front of the Capitol on Wednesday
Pro-Trump insurgents stormed Capitol Hill on Wednesday in an attack that left nation stunned
Trump's words – given with no reporters present who could question him in keeping with a media blackout in recent weeks following his loss – hit some of the points his own supporters were begging him make explicit at a time of national tension.
His press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, issued a brief statement about the situation at the Capitol about two hours earlier, speaking for only a few minutes and not taking questions.
Hours earlier, Trump's Transportation secretary, Elaine Chao, announced she was resigning. Betsy DeVos, the education secretary, followed suit.
Several aides announced their immediate departures after the Capitol riots. His former chief of staff, John Kelly, excoriated his conduct, and his former acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, quit his State Department post as an envoy.
Meanwhile, a flood of pressure from both Republicans and Democrats, arrived with calls for impeachment or for the 25th amendment to be enacted.
But sources close to Vice President Mike Pence were indicating he would not go along with 25th Amendment scenarios that would strip Trump of powers.
Another push came in an editorial in the Rupert Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal amid a flood of Democratic impeachment calls. A successful impeachment would bar Trump from future office - resigning would not.
'If Mr. Trump wants to avoid a second impeachment, his best path would be to take personal responsibility and resign,' said the editorial. 'This would be the cleanest solution since it would immediately turn presidential duties over to Mr. Pence. And it would give Mr. Trump agency, a la Richard Nixon, over his own fate.'
Trump's call for a smooth transition came after weeks of a transition period that was anything but smooth.
His lawyers and allies filed a blizzard of 'kraken' lawsuits – nearly all going down to defeat; one lawyer quit . The Supreme Court declined to take up a Texas challenge. Affidavits from Trump supporters claiming fraud fell apart in court or got tossed.
A government functionary, the head of the General Services Administration, declined to certify Joe Biden as the president-elect for days, denying his people access to the current administration and its data.
Throughout the transition, Biden's methodical announcements about cabinet selections – normally big news that allow an incoming administration to introduce its team to the public – got overshadowed by the drama of Trump's election overturn effort.
The mayor of Washington has put the city on an alert footing through inauguration, Capitol police are expanding the security perimeter around the Capitol to prepare for inauguration, and some officials are warning of more potential mayhem from Trump's supporters, after the president's drumbeat of claims the election was 'rigged' and 'stolen' from him.
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