If so, he will be only the fourth sitting president to boycott the inauguration of his successor, and the first in 152 years, as my friend Jim Bendat explains in The Hill. Here is the gist:
By tradition, on Inauguration Day, the outgoing president greets the president-elect at the White House. They pose for pictures with their spouses, then have some private time together while enjoying juice, coffee and pastries. After about an hour, they ride together to the Capitol for the inauguration ceremony. The new president is sworn in at noon, and then delivers the inaugural address, with his or her predecessor sitting nearby. It is this peaceful transfer of power that sets our country apart from many others around the world.
But now, in the aftermath of a bitter 2020 election, we are in the position of wondering whether President Trump will interact at all with his successor on Inauguration Day. Will those longstanding traditions be followed? Will they have coffee together that morning? Because of the pandemic, perhaps not. Will they ride together to the Capitol? Same issue. So, clearly, the more important question is this: Will Trump even show up at the ceremony? To even ask such a question is almost historically unthinkable.
You can read the entire piece here.
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