President Trump remained invisible and offline on Thursday as his administration was rocked by fresh resignations and the condemnations of former allies a day after his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol.
The president finally abandoned his attempt to hang on to power with a statement published online by an aide, but it was not enough to stem desertions or demands that Trump be removed from office.
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao became the first member of the Cabinet to resign amid reports that other key officials were expected to follow.
Missing from the finger-pointing and claims of foul play was the voice of Trump himself. Banned from Facebook indefinitely and temporarily barred from Twitter for a string of messages that repeated unfounded claims about election rigging, the president stayed out of the limelight.
Instead, he spent part of his morning bestowing the Presidential Medal of Freedom on one of his favorite golfers, Gary Player, and two other sports stars. Video posted online by Player’s grandson showed guests being entertained by a Marine pianist in the grand surroundings of the White House entrance hall.
It was up to press secretary Kayleigh McEnany to speak for the White House. She appeared in the briefing room to condemn the violence and issue a call for unity.
“Let me be clear, the violence we saw yesterday at our nation’s Capitol was appalling, reprehensible, and antithetical to the American way,” she said during a statement that lasted less than two minutes.
Elsewhere, police erected a 9-foot fence around the Capitol in an effort to prevent a repeat of Wednesday’s destruction, while prosecutors said they would consider sedition charges against anyone arrested.
In an email to Department of Transportation staff, Chao, who is married to Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, set out the reasons for her resignation.
“Yesterday, our country experienced a traumatic and entirely avoidable event as supporters of the President stormed the Capitol building following a rally he addressed,” she wrote. “As I’m sure is the case with many of you, it has deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside.”
In the early hours of Thursday morning, the president issued a statement promising an “orderly transition” to the presidency of Joe Biden on Jan. 20.
Statement by President Donald J. Trump on the Electoral Certification:
“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 January 20th. I have always said we would continue our…
— Dan Scavino??? (@DanScavino) January 7, 2021
An official said the aim was in part to head off further resignations and placate internal critics, including those who urged the president to condemn the violence as it unfolded on Wednesday.
“It doesn’t look like it is working,” said the official.
Former chief of staff Mick Mulvaney resigned from his post as special envoy to Northern Ireland, telling the BBC: “Good people cannot be associated with what happened yesterday.”
And he added that many of his former colleagues were torn between wanting to leave an administration associated with mob violence but fearful of what Trump might do as he comes to rely on a shrinking circle of hard-line advisers.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are among leading Democrats calling for Cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump from power. Failing that, they could move to impeach him.
For his part, Biden said Trump had spent four years undermining the rule of law.
“He unleashed an all-out assault on our institutions of our democracy from the outset,” he said before unveiling more members of his administration. “And yesterday was the culmination of that unrelenting attack.”
More worrying for Trump is the way that stalwart congressional allies spoke out against him.
Lindsey Graham, a rival for the Republican nomination in 2016 but now a weekend golf partner of the president’s, was blunt.
“The president needs to understand that his actions were the problem, not the solution,” he said, adding that it “breaks my heart” that Trump would allow it to happen.
And even William Barr, one of the president’s most loyal lieutenants during his time as attorney general, defending him during multiple legal battles and controversies, said, “Orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress is inexcusable.”
