China News Service, Washington, January 20th, title: Trump’s last night at the White House: no face, video, and pardon
China News Agency reporter Chen Mengtong
Like the schedule for several weeks, US President Trump "will work from early morning to late at night at the White House on the 19th. He will make a lot of phone calls and hold a lot of meetings."
But he did not show up in public.
January 19 is the last full working day of Trump as President of the United States in the White House.
President-elect Biden will be sworn in at noon on the 20th, and Trump is expected to leave the White House early at 8 am that day and fly to Florida.
Four years ago, Trump, who had no political resume, entered the White House as an "outsider".
In four years, he repeatedly broke Washington's political conventions and traditions, and he was no exception when he left office.
He has publicly stated that he will not attend Biden's inauguration.
This will make him the fourth outgoing president in American history to miss the inauguration of his successor, the first in more than 150 years.
Shortly after Biden flew to Joint Base Andrews adjacent to Washington on the afternoon of the 19th, the White House released a video of Trump's farewell speech for about 20 minutes.
"Four years ago, we embarked on a mission to make the United States great again." Trump concluded in the video. "At the end of the 45th presidential term of the United States, I stand in front of you and have achieved what we have together Proud of achievements. We have done what we came here to do and more."
Still did not admit that he lost the election, nor did he mention Biden's name. In his speech, Trump counted the achievements of his tenure and only wished the new administration "good luck."
In reviewing his term of office, Trump emphatically mentioned the economic policies such as tax cuts implemented by his government, the construction of the border wall, and the signing of the US-Mexico-Canada agreement.
He said, "I am particularly proud that I am the first American president who has not launched a new war in decades."
Under his instructions, the total number of US troops stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq in early 2021 has been reduced to about 5,000.
As a result of the congressional incident on January 6, as many as 25,000 members of the National Guard were stationed in Washington to maintain the order of the president's inauguration.
Trump said in the video that he hopes his greatest political legacy is to "let the American people back in charge of the United States."
"We have restored the notion of'no one in the United States will be forgotten.' Everyone has the right to be respected, to have their own voice, and to have the government listen to their voice."
Because of the congressional incident, Trump was again impeached by the House of Representatives with a "sedition" clause, becoming the first president in American history to be impeached twice during his term.
After he resigns, he will still face an impeachment trial against him by the Senate.
Trump said, "All Americans are shocked by the attack on the Capitol. Political violence is an attack on everything that Americans hold dear. This is absolutely intolerable."
Grant Rich, a professor of political science at Syracuse University in the United States, said that in terms of policy, one of Trump’s most lasting political legacy may be the tax cuts he implemented in 2017.
The congressional shock event may prove to be a turning point, "after that, this country began to move away from the kind of inflammatory politics that Trump believed in."
The “Capitol Hill” pointed out that when people look back on Trump’s tenure, the "separation of flesh and blood" immigration policy in the United States, the white supremacy movement riots, 400,000 deaths due to the new crown epidemic, and violent attacks on Congress will all be "unignorable fact".
On the 19th, the number of deaths from new coronary pneumonia in the United States exceeded 400,000, and the number of infections was nearly 24.3 million.
The reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington lit up 400 pillar lamps to mourn these lost lives.
Trump's farewell speech did not mention the number of the epidemic, but called the vaccine produced at a record rate a "medical miracle."
He said, "We feel grief for everyone who lost their lives. We promise to mourn them in a way that will eliminate this terrible epidemic forever."
In addition to releasing a farewell video, Trump also signed a number of executive orders and memoranda on the 19th.
In the last two weeks of the term of office, the Trump administration has “slammed” into effect in the domestic and foreign affairs fields that have made the new administration irreversible for a while.
Marielena Hincapie, who was responsible for the coordination of policies and issues in the Democratic Party, said that Biden may adjust or cancel 400 to 1,000 administrative measures left by Trump during his tenure.
Although Trump did not win the majority of the popular vote in the two general elections, the unabated supporters and fierce elections behind him all indicate that the tearing of American society will not be caused by his departure. Weaken.
"Now, as I prepare to hand over power to the new government at noon on the 20th, I want you to know that the campaign we launched has just begun." Trump said to his supporters at the end of his speech.
Approaching 1 a.m. on the 20th, the White House issued a statement announcing the list of 143 people who had received Trump's pardon or reduced their sentences.
These include Bannon, the former chief strategist of the White House.
Like many decisions during his term, Trump will still leave Washington with controversy and surprise in the final moments of the White House.
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