With the fact of Trump's absence from Joe Biden's inauguration as a variant of the ritual, which only emphasized the omission of his name in Biden's speech and the presence of the former vice president, the question of his plans became concise and decisive for the future.
If Trump, which was never entirely unthinkable given his erratic style, had decided at the last moment to take part in the introductory ritual, then the signs would have been for attempts to mediate within the Republican Party.