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- Outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to allow the transition of power to begin, one day on from a deadly insurrection by his followers
- The pledge comes after U.S. lawmakers from both sides began pushing for the President to be removed from office due to his role in the riots
- Trump has been widely blamed for inciting some of his extremist supporters to stage a coup on the Capitol Building in Washington D.C.
- The President used his latest address to falsely claim he quelled the insurrection by deploying the National Guard
- Trump also refused to congratulate Joe Biden for his Presidential election win back in November
One day on from a deadly coup on the U.S. Capitol Building by his own followers, Donald Trump has promised to allow the transition of power to begin.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2021
“A new administration will be inaugurated on January 20,” Trump said in the video.
“My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power,” he added.
The pledge from Trump comes as U.S. lawmakers from both sides continue to push for the President to be removed from office due to his role in the riots.
The outgoing leader has been widely blamed for inciting his extremist supporters to stage a coup on the Capitol Building in Washington D.C.
This is due to Trump’s refusal to accept the election result, unsupported claims that it was stolen, and his urging for the Vice President to reject the results on January 6, when Congress met to certify Joe Biden’s win.
In an address to his supporters on the morning of Biden’s certification, hours before the Capitol was stormed, Trump told his followers “we will never give up, we will never concede, it doesn’t happen, you don’t concede when there’s theft involved.”
He also told his supporters “we’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators, and congressmen and women. We’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them because you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.”
Shortly after, four people died breaking in to Capitol building and attempting to attack the Congress members inside, who were certifying Biden’s win.
Ultimately, their efforts proved fruitless, as Congress certified the President-elect’s victory hours later once the building had been secured.
However, in the aftermath of the attack on Wednesday, attention has turned to the President’s role in inciting the violence.
In the recently released video, his first statement since being temporarily banned from Twitter, and indefinitely on Facebook, Trump claims he called in the National Guard to help restore calm in D.C.
Instead, the VP, Mike Pence, brought in extra help after the White House initially refused a request from the District Mayor to deploy extra guards.
Additionally, Trump used his latest address to the American people to repeat his claim — without evidence — that the November Presidential election result was fraudulent.
“My only goal was to ensure the integrity of the vote. In so doing, I was fighting to defend American democracy,” he said.
“I continue to strongly believe that we must reform our election laws to verify the identity and eligibility of all voters, and to ensure faith and confidence in all future elections,” he added.
Trump also refused to congratulate Joe Biden on his Presidential election win, however he did strongly condemn supporters who attacked the Capitol.
“To those who engaged in the acts of violence and destruction, you do not represent our country. And to those who broke the law, you will pay,” the President said.
