President Donald Trump is condemning the violent supporters who stormed the nation’s Capitol on Wednesday and acknowledging the incoming administration led by President-elect Joe Biden.
In a new video message, Trump says that now that Congress has certified the results, the ”new administration will be inaugurated on January 20″ and his “focus now turns to ensuring a smooth orderly and seamless transition of power.”
He is also speaking out against the violence, calling it a “heinous attack” that left him “outraged by the violence lawlessness and mayhem.”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2021
Trump is telling his supporters that, while he knows they are “disappointed,” he wants them to know “our incredible journey is only just beginning.”
Is the video enough to calm the firestorm of growing calls, headed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to have Trump removed from office with less than two weeks left in his term? Former Jacksonville Chief of Staff Chris Hand weighed-in.
“He did not take any responsibility for that violence that occurred yesterday. Of course, it occurred after a rally at the White House where President Trump urged them to go to the Capitol and be wild and fight like hell, in his words, and one of his lieutenants asked for a trial by combat,” Hand said. “There was no responsibility for the inciting of that riot yesterday.”
Hand said it was good for Trump to acknowledge in the video that the new administration would soon be sworn-in, though he never mentioned President-elect Joe Biden by name.
The president said his goal was to ensure the integrity of the vote and defend American democracy, but Hand said the president still faulted the election system.
“He also didn’t restore confidence in the electoral process,” Hand said. “He used part of his statement, to question the credibility of the electoral process.”