Trump's 'second inauguration': Over 300,000 supporters plan to attend virtual ceremony on January 20
President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden might end up having two separate inaugurations, that is if the POTUS' supporters have their way. According to Newsweek, over 60,000 Trump supporters have organized a virtual "2nd inauguration" on Facebook and urged the president to attend it instead of Biden's inauguration scheduled in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2021. The Facebook group is titled "Donald J. Trump 2nd Presidential Inauguration Ceremony" and has received over 327,000 responses, with more than 60,000 indicating that they planned to attend.
The group offers a couple of disclaimers as well-one from the people who were organizing the event and another one from the social networking site. "Disclaimer: We are a grassroots collection of private individuals 325,000 strong, showing our support for President Donald J Trump. We have no affiliation with any formal organization," the group wrote in the event's details. The disclaimer from Facebook read, "Joe Biden is the President-elect. He will be inaugurated as the 46th US President on January 20, 2021." The Independent reported that the group was organized by Ilir Chami and Evi Kokalari, who was part of Trump's 2020 reelection campaign.
Meanwhile, as Trump continues to refuse to concede the presidential race, despite the fact that the Electoral College has certified his opponent's win, he has also not confirmed if he will attend Biden's inauguration as has been the tradition for all outgoing presidents in the history of the United States.
Trump, in an interview with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, was asked whether he would "show up at the inauguration," to which the president replied saying: "I don't want to talk about that." The Republican leader then claimed that he did not lose the election to Biden. "I want to talk about this: we've done a great job," he said. "I got more votes than any president in the history of our country. In the history of our country, right? Not even close—75 million far more than Obama, far more than anybody. And they say we lost an election. We didn't lose. If I got 10 million fewer votes, they say I couldn't have lost."
Trump is reportedly also considering a dramatic departure from the White House that includes a final Air Force One flight to Florida where he will host an opposing rally during Biden's inauguration, according to a new Axios report. The outlet's Alayna Treene wrote: "The Trump talk could create a split-screen moment: the outgoing president addressing a roaring crowd in an airport hangar while the incoming leader is sworn in before a socially distanced audience outside the Capitol."
Before the Electoral College cemented Biden's win, Trump took questions at the Thanksgiving Day address at the White House on Thursday, November 26, where he was asked if he'd go to Biden's inauguration. Trump replied: “I don't want to say that yet. I mean I know the answer, I'll be honest, I know the answer, but I just don't want to say it yet.” He also warned it would be a mistake for the Electoral College to elect Biden. “If they do they made a mistake,” the president said.