On his closing full day in workplace, US President Donald Trump hails the ‘achievements’ of his ‘America First’ platform.
US President Donald Trump has launched a farewell video, touting what he described because the success of his “America First” platform and telling his supporters that “the motion we began is simply simply starting”.
Trump, who will go away workplace on Wednesday however is not going to attend the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, acknowledged within the practically 20-minute video {that a} new administration could be sworn on this week.
“We lengthen our greatest needs,” he stated. “And we additionally need them to have luck. A vital phrase.
“Now, as we put together handy energy over to a brand new administration at midday on Wednesday, I would like you to know that the motion we began is simply simply starting,” he stated.
Trump, who has maintained his false claims that November’s presidential election was “stolen” from him amid widespread voter fraud, described himself on Tuesday as “the one true outsider ever to win the presidency”.
He solely acknowledged he wouldn’t serve a second time period as president on January 7, a day after his supporters stormed the US Capitol as Congress met to certify Biden’s victory. The incident left 5 lifeless.
Trump has nonetheless not explicitly acknowledged that he misplaced to Biden.
Within the video launched on Tuesday, Trump condemned the violence on Capitol Hill, saying “all Individuals have been horrified by the assault on our Capitol”.
“Political violence is an assault on the whole lot we cherish as Individuals. It could by no means be tolerated.”
Trump has been accused of egging on his supporters in a rally shortly earlier than the Capitol breach. In a video message amid the chaos, Trump instructed supporters to go house, whereas saying “We love you” and once more repeating his baseless allegation that the election had been “stolen”.
Final week, the US Home of Representatives voted to question Trump for “incitement to rebel” in relation to the riot.
Shortly earlier than the discharge of Trump’s farewell message, Senate Majority Chief Mitch McConnell stated the rioters have been “fed lies” and “provoked by the president and different highly effective folks”.
Trump will face a trial within the Senate on the article of impeachment, which would require a two-thirds majority for conviction within the chamber, which is cut up 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans.
A responsible vote might additionally result in Trump being barred from holding future federal workplace. As a single-term president, Trump is at present eligible to run once more in 2024 and is anticipated to be an influential drive main as much as that race.
‘America first’
On Tuesday, Trump additionally thanked his household, his cupboard and Vice President Mike Pence, whom he had particularly pressured in his makes an attempt to overturn the election outcomes.
Al Jazeera’s John Hendren, reporting from Washington, DC on Tuesday night, stated the message was maybe extra gracious than many anticipated. However, Hendren stated, “it was really Trumpian within the sense that he by no means actually acknowledged Joe Biden by title”.
Trump’s tackle served as a bookend to his inaugural speech in 2017, the place he laid out his imaginative and prescient of management based mostly on the idea of “America First”.
“4 years in the past … we launched into a mission to make America nice once more for all Individuals,” he stated. “As I conclude my time period because the forty fifth president of the US, I stand earlier than you really pleased with what we have now achieved collectively.”
Trump additionally hailed the pre-pandemic US economic system and the speed of improvement of a COVID-19 vaccine below his administration’s Operation Warp Pace, in addition to his crackdown on undocumented immigrants and normalisation offers between Israel and Arab states.
Trump is the primary president in additional than 150 years who is not going to attend his successor’s inauguration.
He’s set to have a send-off occasion at Joint Base Andrews earlier than flying to Florida on Wednesday.