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Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

    Former President Trump Does Not Attend Inauguration

    Former President Trump Does Not Attend Inauguration

    On January 8th, former President Trump announced that he would not be attending President Joe Biden’s inauguration. Even former Vice President Mike Pence attended the ceremony, which is just another example of the former President defying citizens’ expectations.

    Trump’s absence will be the fourth in history, following John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Andrew Johnson, who was also the first president to be impeached. All of the following presidents were also in office for one term.

    Although many would say Trump’s absence was uncalled for or maybe even illegal, the U.S. Constitution does not state that a former president must attend the inauguration. It is seen as important for what it represents; that being the passing on of a major role peacefully, which many other countries cannot do.

    In 1921, President Woodrow Wilson was ill in bed after a deadly stroke as his term came to an end. Rather than staying in bed, Wilson still accompanied his successor Warren Harding on the ride to the ceremony.

    “It symbolizes something important, which is the functioning of democracy,” says Joanne Freeman, an expert on early 19th century American history and a professor of history at Yale University.

    As of now, President Biden has already signed 17 executive actions, which is the most in recorded history. Many of these are reversals from former President Trump. He also plans to create the position of COVID-19 Response Coordinator, who will report directly to the President, and to launch a “100 Days Masking Challenge” asking Americans to mask up for 100 days and leading by example in the federal government. The future looks bright for the upcoming years in the United States.

     

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