U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham told President Donald Trump that he should attend President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. Attention is focusing on whether President Donald Trump, who still refuses to accept defeat, will attend the inauguration ceremony scheduled for January 20 next year.
According to The Hill, a political media outlet, on the 30th (local time), Graham said, “If the results of the presidential election end with Biden’s victory, President Trump should attend the inauguration ceremony (of Biden),” adding, “I think it would be good for President Trump himself and for the country.”
Graham’s advice is interpreted as meaning to accept Biden’s victory to President Trump, who has been protesting the outcome of the presidential election by preaching conspiracy theories of “negative election.” Graham is considered a leading pro-Trump lieutenant in the U.S. Republican Party.
The inauguration ceremony of the U.S. president usually features a former president who leaves the White House and a newly-elected president-elect. It is a bipartisan tradition to symbolize a peaceful transfer of power. This tradition has never been broken since George Washington, the first president of the United States, attended the inauguration of his successor, John Adams. President Trump himself also appeared at his inauguration ceremony with former President Barack Obama.
However, President Trump’s nearly month-long campaign dissatisfaction raises the possibility that the tradition will be broken for the first time in U.S. history. When asked whether he would attend the inauguration ceremony if Biden was confirmed as the winner on the 26th of last month, President Trump also avoided giving an immediate answer, saying, “I don’t want to talk yet.”
In addition to Graham, there are growing calls within the Republican Party that President Trump should accept the election results. Senator Roy Blunt appeared on CNN the previous day and said, 정품비아그라 “President Trump is refusing to call Biden the president-elect, but I hope he will show up at the inauguration.”
Senator Rob Portman also criticized Trump in an article contributed to local media last week, saying, “The final vote count will not change in any state,” adding, “President Trump’s side has failed to provide convincing evidence that fraudulent elections have been rampant.”
Despite such negative public opinion, President Trump is determined not to accept the election results by continuing to develop “don’t ask” lawsuits. However, President Trump is in a tight spot as he has certified Biden’s victory in a series of key races that have raised suspicions of rigged elections. Earlier, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Nevada ruled in favor of Biden after a verification process. Arizona also confirmed Biden’s victory on the same day.
