Washington: President Donald Trump on Friday said he would not attend his successor Joe Biden's swearing-in on January 20, hours after he vowed to ensure a "smooth, orderly and seamless" transition of power.
"To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th," Trump tweeted. The last president to skip the inauguration of his successor was Andrew Johnson, in 1869.
After weeks of falsely claiming that he had won the November 3 election, Trump, a Republican, had not been expected to attend the swearing-in of Biden, a Democrat.
Trump's tweet came on a day the congressional committee that organised the ceremony announced that the swearing-in will take place on the Capitol's West Front as planned, despite the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol on Wednesday.
The rioters had over run the platform constructed for the event as well as the rest of the Capitol building.
In a statement, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies said that Wednesday "was a sad and solemn day for our country. The outrageous attack on the Capitol, however, will not stop us from affirming to Americans and the world that our democracy endures.
"Our committee's bipartisan, bicameral membership remains committed to working with our many partners to execute ceremonies that are safe and showcase our determined democracy."
In the wake of the violence, security for the inaugural ceremony will be extremely tight, US media reports said.
There will be few guests, and the incoming Biden administration has already urged people not to come to Washington for the event, also because of the coronavirus pandemic.