PRESIDENT Donald Trump said on Friday that he would not attend Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20.
He posted this on his Twitter handle, attracting criticisms from detractors and Twitter users.
“To all those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th,” he tweeted.
The statement attracted 50,800 re-tweets, 267,700 likes and 59,800 quotes one hour and thirty minutes after it was tweeted, according to The ICIR checks.
For two days now, Trump has attracted severe criticisms from across the world for inciting violence in parts of the United States, especially Washington DC, on Wednesday.
Until Friday, Trump had refused to concede defeat, making unfounded statements about the November 2020 presidential elections which he lost to Biden, claiming without evidence that the election was rigged in Biden’s favour.
He had incited followers and supporters to breach Capitol Hill on Wednesday—the day the Congress were to certify Biden after his Electoral College victory.
After his incitement of supporters, he abandoned them mid-way following global condemnations, warning that those who perpetrated the insurrection would be brought to book. Some of his global allies such as UK and Israeli prime ministers Boris Johnson and Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Trump’s behaviour and the attack on Capitol Hill. House and Senate members of Republican and Democratic parties are calling for his impeachment before his exit on January 20.
On Twitter, Chris Jacobus, executive producer of ‘America Reads The Mueller Report,’ asked jokingly, “Does this mean you’ve planned another attack on our Capitol on that day?” One Helen with a Twitter handle, @doerfler_helen, said, “He won’t be going because his mob on Parlor are planning a march in DC on Jan 19th & Jan 20 th.”
One Bettemidler tweeted, “Who cares? After what you have put us through, we all hope to never clap eyes on you again, you traitorous, seditious, appalling…loser.” One Twitter user, Gwendolyn Hammond, wrote, “Hopefully, you’ll be removed from office before then. Wicked, immoral man. No one will miss you at the inauguration.”
However, his supporters backed him, expressing sadness at his imminent exit.
“Jay, Donald Trump was the best president since Ronald Reagan. America will pay a heavy price for electoral fraud,” one Krzysztof Bień, with a handle @reaktor57, replied.
One of his supporters Goose Wayne Batman, with a Twitter handle @GoooseWayne TV. tweeted, “Proud of you, Mr President. Best 4four years of my life.”
Trump said earlier that his focus had shifted to ensuring a peaceful transfer of power.
Read also: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter sanction Trump for inciting violence in Washington