New Delhi: With just a few hours left for Joe Biden to be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, it is the last day for outgoing President Donald Trump at the White House. On the last day at US Capitol, Trump had one tangible issue he has been focused on and that is how to apply his power to pardon before his term ends on January 20. On Wednesday afternoon, Joe Biden will take oath and the Trump presidency will end.
Trump started his last full day in office hiding from the public with his lowest approval ratings ever. He largely vanished from public life in the final days of his presidency.
In his last days, the White House impeached him for a historic second time over his role inciting the Capitol mob recently, and he now faces an impeachment trial in the Senate.
Banned by Twitter and Facebook for his stream of inflammatory messages and misinformation, Trump has stopped communicating with the nation in this last days. Moreover, he is yet to congratulate Biden or invite him for the traditional pre-inauguration cup of tea in the Oval Office.
Instead, Trump is meeting with a dwindling circle of loyalists who backed him during a doomed, two-month effort to overturn the results of the November election.
In this last days, Trump issued a last-minute order on Monday, most notably lifting off the travel bans imposed due to spike in coronavirus cases in Europe and Brazil.
On the other hand, Trump has a list of about 100 people who will be granted clemency by him. According to reports, the list is expected to be a mix of white-collar criminals and people whose cases have been championed by criminal justice activists.
In the meantime, Trump also awarded the king of Bahrain with the legion of merit award on his last full day in office. The US embassy in Bahrain confirmed King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa received the award for his “visionary leadership” in the region from Trump.
IN a statement, the White House said that the designation was in recognition of Manama and Abu Dhabi’s “extraordinary courage, determination and leadership”.
For the inauguration, Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the oath of office to Biden just after the clock strikes 12 (local time) at the West Front of the Capitol – the traditional location – under the unprecedented security umbrella of more than 25,000 National Guards, who have transformed the capital into a garrison city, mainly because of the threat of violent protest by Trump’s supporters.
This year, however, the transition stands out for its acrimony. The process usually starts straight after the election, but it started weeks late after President Donald Trump refused to accept the result of the November 3 election won by Biden, a Democrat.
Trump has said he will not attend the inauguration. Trump, a Republican, will vacate the White House hours before the inauguration and is expected to travel to his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.