US President-elect Joe Biden has celebrated President Donald Trump’s decision not to attend his swearing-in ceremony on January 20, saying “it’s a good thing”.
President Trump said in a tweet on that he “will not be going to the inauguration”, in what would be an unusual break with custom that is seen as part of the peaceful transition of power in the United States.
It makes him the first president in more than 150 years – and just the fourth in US history – to miss the occasion. The last incumbent president to miss his successor’s inauguration was Andrew Johnson in 1869.
“One of the few things he and I have ever agreed on,” President-elect Biden said of Mr Trump’s decision.
Mr Biden however intimated that he would like for Vice President Mike Pence to be in attendance.
“The vice president is welcome to come, I’d be honoured to have him there,” he said.
Mr Biden added that President Trump “has exceeded even my worst notions about him. He’s been an embarrassment to the country, embarrassed us around the world, not worthy, not worthy to hold that office.”
The President-elect also gave his opinion as to how members of the pro-Trump mob that stormed the US Capitol should be treated by law enforcement and prosecutors.
“They should be treated as they’re a bunch of thugs, insurrectionists, white supremacists, anti-Semites,” Mr Biden said. “These are a bunch of thugs, thugs. And they’re a bunch of terrorists, domestic terrorists.
“This had the active encouragement of a sitting president of the United States,” he continued, adding that the security issues the riot revealed deserve “a full-blown investigation, people be held accountable and steps taken [so] that something like this could never happen again”.
With 12 days until his inauguration, President-elect Biden does not still have any of his cabinet nominees approved and he called on the Senate to approve his choices as soon as possible after January 20. He singled out the importance of getting his choices for defence, state, treasury and homeland security confirmed in short order.
Meanwhile, Twitter has announced it has permanently suspended President Donald Trump’s account due to the risk of further incitement of violence after hundreds of his supporters stormed the US Capitol.
“After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” the company said in a statement.
Twitter said the ban was the result of two of the president’s tweets, which had violated its glorification of violence policy.
They were, “The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!” and, “To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th”.
Twitter said the two tweets “were highly likely to encourage and inspire people to replicate the criminal acts that took place at the US Capitol”.
In response, Mr Trump posted a series of tweets from the @POTUS account accusing the company of going “further and further in banning free speech”.
He said he is considering building his own social media platform in the near future and adding that “we will not be SILENCED!”
Facebook had earlier announced that Trump would be blocked from using the platform for the remainder of his term.
