President-elect Joe Biden invited Vice President Mike Pence to his inauguration and expressed satisfaction that President Trump will not be in attendance.
Biden, who will be sworn in Jan. 20, told reporters on Friday it’s “a good thing” that the president won’t attend his inauguration but added that his successor as vice president was “welcome” to be there.
“I was told that on the way over here that [President Trump] indicated he wasn’t going to show up at the inauguration,” he said. “One of the few things he and I have ever agreed on. It’s a good thing, him not showing up.”
The president-elect was also asked why he changed his mind because he previously said it was important for Trump to attend “for the country,” even though “it has no personal consequence to me.” He answered, “Because he has clearly demonstrated — he exceeded even my worst notions about him. He’s been an embarrassment to the country, embarrassed us around the world, not worthy to hold that office.”
To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2021
He addressed Pence’s possible attendance at his inauguration, saying, “I think it’s important that as much as we can stick to what have been historical precedence of how and the circumstances of when an administration changes should be maintained. If the — the vice president is welcome to come, would be happy to have him come and to move forward in the transition.”
The vice president’s press secretary, Devin O’Malley, said Pence and the second lady have yet to decide on whether they will attend, according to NPR.
Trump announced hours before Biden’s address that he won’t be attending the inauguration. There have been reports that the president is planning to fly to Scotland the day before and that he’d hold a competing rally in Florida, where he’ll announce a bid for the 2024 Republican presidential primary. The White House has previously denied both reports.
Pence and Trump have been at odds since the vice president presided over the joint session of Congress in which Biden’s victory was certified. The proceedings were halted for hours after a swath of protesters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop the session at the president’s insistence. The chaos led to five deaths, countless injuries, destruction of federal property, dozens of arrests, and a lockdown of the Capitol, but it did not stop Congress from certifying the Electoral College for Biden.
The president repeatedly and publicly called on the vice president to take actions outside of his constitutional authority to overturn the election results, even though the vice president had told him he couldn’t do it.
