Trump Won't Attend Inauguration; Congress Pushes Ahead With Capitol Ceremony

When President-elect Joe Biden is sworn into office on Jan. 20, one traditional element illustrating the peaceful transfer of power will be missing: outgoing President Trump.

Updated at 11:40 a.m. ET

In a tweet Friday morning, Trump said, "To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th."

After weeks of falsely claiming that he had won the November election, Trump had not been expected to attend Biden's swearing in.

Trump's tweet comes as the congressional committee that plans the ceremony announced that the swearing-in will take place on the Capitol's West Front as planned, despite the pro-Trump mob that stored the Capitol Wednesday. The rioters had over run the platform constructed for the event as well as the rest of the Capitol building.

In a statement, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies said that Wednesday "was a sad and solemn day for our country. The outrageous attack on the Capitol, however, will not stop us from affirming to Americans — and the world — that our democracy endures. Our committee's bipartisan, bicameral membership remains committed to working with our many partners to execute ceremonies that are safe and showcase our determined democracy."

In the wake of the insurrection, security for the inaugural is expected to be extremely tight. A large fence has already been placed around the perimeter of the Capitol grounds. There will be few guests, and the incoming Biden administration has already urged people not to come to Washington for the event, in large part because of the coronavirus pandemic. [Copyright 2021 NPR]