The White House has confirmed that US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, media reported.
“The President promised that he would attend the inauguration of whoever won the election,” said Andrew Bates, senior deputy press secretary at the White House.
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“He and the First Lady are going to honour that promise and attend the inauguration.”
“He ( Joe Biden) and the first lady (Jill Biden) are going to honour that promise and attend the inauguration. He views that as an important demonstration of commitment to our democratic values, and to honouring the will of the people, as we continue to provide an orderly and effective transition.”
Earlier this month, the US President welcomed Trump back to the White House — another tradition Trump eschewed after losing the 2020 election — with Biden promising a transfer of power that is “as smooth as it can get”.
“We’re looking forward to having, like we said, a smooth transition. We’ll do everything we can to make sure you’re accommodated, what you need, and we’re going to get a chance to talk about some of that today,” Biden said earlier this month.
“Welcome back.”
The President-elect did not attend Biden’s inauguration in January 2021, which came days after the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.
Trump’s decision to skip Biden’s inauguration was not without precedent, but he was the first President to skip his successor’s inauguration in more than 150 years and his then outgoing administration was represented by then outgoing Vice-President Mike Pence.
