Embattled United States President Donald Trump has stated that he will not be attending President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20.
“To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the inauguration on January 20th,” he announced on Twitter.
The outgoing President had refused to recognize Biden as the winner of the November 3, 2020, presidential election.
In a video released on Thursday, Trump acknowledged his loss, noting that a new government will be taking over office in January amid growing demand for his removal from office following the invasion of the Capitol by his loyalist which caused the death of five people.
“Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on Jan. 20,” he said in a statement as he continued to promote debunked claims of voter fraud.
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He added: “While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it’s only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again!”
It was Trump’s first acknowledgement of his defeat in the November election.
“The message was issued via his social media director Dan Scavino, as the president’s personal Twitter account was locked, following comments he published that some say spurred Wednesday’s attack on the U.S. Capitol by his loyalists.
Fellow social media giant Facebook banned Trump from his accounts indefinitely, citing his intent to “undermine the peaceful and lawful transition of power.”
U.S. lawmakers finally certified Biden’s election win in the early hours of Thursday.
The joint session of Congress had been abruptly halted hours earlier after rioters breached both chambers of the Capitol building, forcing lawmakers to flee and hunker down until the siege ended.
One woman was shot and killed by Capitol police during the assault, the force said in a statement.
Authorities said three others died in separate medical emergencies.
DC police updated the number of arrests they made, to 68 people.
