Former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly will not attend President Donald Trump farewell ceremony, joining other former aides in skipp...
Former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly will not attend President Donald Trump farewell ceremony, joining other former aides in skipping the military-style event.
The retired Marine general, who has become a critic of the president since leaving the White House, revealed to CNN he wouldn't be at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday morning because of other commitments.
In the wake of January 6th MAGA riot on Capitol Hill, Kelly said if he had been in the Cabinet he would have voted to use the 25th amendment to remove Trump from office.
Kelly is one of many former aides who won't be there to watch President Trump board Air Force One last time. There have been reports that organizers are struggling to fill the seats and offering each invitee the chance to bring five guests of their own.
Former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly will not attend President Donald Trump farewell ceremony, joining other former aides in skipping the event
President Trump will hold a military-style departure at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday morning before Joe Biden takes the oath of office
Anthony Scaramucci has said he turned down an invite to the event after being sent a 'mass' email from aides 'looking for people' to attend.
The former White House Communications Director told Inside Edition he would not be attending the ceremony.
He said Monday: 'They're looking for people. Trust me, that had to be a mass email if one of them got sent to me.'
Scaramucci, who lasted just 11 days in Trump's administration before being unceremoniously fired following an expletive-ridden interview with The New Yorker in 2017, has become one of Trump's fiercest critics.
He last week blasted Trump as 'the domestic terrorist of the 21st century,' comparing him to Oklahoma City Bomber Timothy McVeigh.
On Monday he also waded into first lady Melania's decision to not give her successor, Dr Jill Biden, a tour of the family wing of the White House.
Trump will also not engage in any hand-off rituals that incumbents typically do to welcome newly elected Presidents – such as leaving a letter of advice to the new president or hosting a one-on-one conversation.
Scaramucci added: 'It's 100% Trump. His decision, this a sore loser, this a guy that got trounced in the election.'
Trump is set to leave the White House and fly out of DC before 8am on the morning of Joe Biden's inauguration. The outgoing president is due to hold a farewell ceremony at Joint Base Andrews, in Maryland, on Wednesday. He will then depart the nation's capital on Air Force One and head to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida before his successor is sworn in.
White House aides have reportedly sent out invitations for the event, with guests instructed to arrive between 6am and 7:15am. Specific details regarding the ceremony are said to still be under consideration, but it may include a color guard and 21-gun salute.
Attendees are permitted to bring up to five guests but have been instructed to wear masks throughout, Bloomberg's Jennifer Jacobs had reported.
Anthony Scaramucci, pictured, said he turned down an invite to Donald Trump's farewell event after being sent a 'mass' email from aides 'looking for people' to attend
T rump is set to leave the White House and fly out of DC before 8am on the morning of Joe Biden's inauguration . The outgoing president is due to hold a farewell ceremony at Joint Base Andrews, in Maryland, on Wednesday. He will then depart the nation's capital on Air Force One
Trump announced on January 8 that he would be skipping Biden's inauguration, becoming the first living US president in more than a century to choose not to attend the traditional exchange of power.
Vice President Mike Pence, meanwhile, is slated to attend the inauguration.
Pence reportedly called Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Thursday to congratulate her and offer assistance less than a week before she is sworn is as his successor, USA Today reported.
Biden and Trump are understood not to have spoken since the election concluded.
National Guard troops guard the US Capitol as fences and barbed wire are put up as security for the upcoming inauguration for President-elect Joe Biden amid threats by extremist supporters of Donald Trump in Washington DC
Lights are illuminated along the National Mall as a tribute to the nearly 400,000 Americans killed by the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic ahead of Biden's inauguration Wednesday
The Pentagon will break with recent tradition by refusing to engage in an armed forces farewell or throw Trump's requested military-style parade as the president leaves office on Wednesday.
Trump had wanted an extravagant goodbye – not unlike the exuberance he exuded during his presidency – despite his recent fallout of favor with middle-of-the-line Republicans following the storming of the Capitol earlier this month, which Democrats impeached him for last Wednesday claiming he 'incited an insurrection.'
The president wanted his departure from Washington to involve a 'military-style sendoff and a crowd of supporters,' a person who has discussed the matter with Trump told CNN.
Two senior Defense officials told Defense One that no military farewell is being planned for the commander in chief.
Scaramucci is demanding that Trump be held accountable and serve jail time for 'inciting an insurrection where people descended on the Capitol building calling for the death of his vice president'.
'My personal view is he has to be held accountable, he has to be convicted in the Senate. The guy really should go to jail,' he said.
Scaramucci, who lasted just 11 days in Trump's administration before being unceremoniously fired following an expletive-ridden interview with The New Yorker in 2017, has become one of Trump's fiercest critics. The two men are pictured
Trump has often pushed military parades during his presidency as a show of U.S. power. He finally hosted one of these costly parades on Independence Day 2019.
Millions were diverted from other funds to host the 'Salute to America' parade two summers ago as tanks rolled through the streets of the nation's capital and military aircraft participated in a flyover of the National Mall. The events included a speech from Trump and the traditional fireworks show.
The whole ordeal was a massive break in tradition from Washington's usual annual celebration of U.S. independence.
When Trump's term officially ends at noon on Joe Biden's Inauguration Day – Wednesday, January 20 – Trump expects to be at his Mar-a-Lago club in South Florida or playing at his nearby golf course.
Trump has still not conceded that he lost the election to Biden, but has now vowed there will be a 'peaceful transition of power.'
Ever since Ronald Reagan's presidency, the Department of Defense has hosted an Armed Forces Farewell tribute as presidents' terms come to a close.
The ceremonies include members of the military getting to meet or see the president in person and usually their commander-in-chief exhibits his appreciation for their commitment and sacrifice.
Trump has often pushed military parades during his presidency as a show of U.S. power. He finally hosted one of these costly parades on Independence Day 2019, pictured
Millions were diverted from other funds to host the 'Salute to America' parade as tanks rolled through the streets of the nation's capital and military aircraft participated in a flyover of the National Mall in 2019
This president, however, is not participating in any of the traditional end-of-term events.
On Saturday, Vice President Mike Pence delivered remarks to sailors at Naval Air Station Lemoore, and will visit on Sunday the 10th Mountain Division in Fort Drum, New York. On Wednesday, the White House announced Pence's upcoming plans, claiming his remarks would celebrate 'the Trump Administration's historic foreign policy achievements.'
President-elect Biden's inauguration celebration is being closed to the public because of the chaos at the Capitol on January 6, which left five dead, after Trump riled up his supporters at a rally near the White House.
In the last few weeks, more than 20,000 National Guard troops were deployed to the nation's capital and will continue patrolling the streets of Washington D.C. until at least inauguration.
The FBI is also tracking several threats of violence, including a rumored plan for thousands of 'armed patriots' to descend on the Capitol or White House.
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