Admits defeat: Trump promises a smooth transition of power | Arab and international news



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Outgoing United States President Donald Trump appeared as someone who admitted defeat, calling for “reconciliation and healing” yesterday, Thursday, after his supporters stormed the Capitol building the day before yesterday and wreaked havoc on it. , emphasizing that he wanted a “smooth” transition of power to the administration. He was succeeded by President-elect Joe Biden. For his part, Biden yesterday accused Trump of launching a “relentless attack on democratic institutions.”

A Capitol police officer died from injuries sustained during clashes with a crowd of Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol. Capitol Police said in a statement that Police Officer Brian Secnick was “responding to the riots on Wednesday, January 6, 2021 in the United States Capitol and was injured while physically confronting protesters.” “He returned to his headquarters and collapsed. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries,” the statement added.

“A new administration will be installed on January 20,” Trump said in a video clip he posted on his Twitter account. “My focus now is to ensure a smooth, orderly and smooth transition of power. This moment requires healing and reconciliation.”

He added that he was “outraged by acts of violence, anarchy and chaos” committed by his supporters at the headquarters of Congress, where a woman was shot to death during clashes between them and the security forces when they stormed the Capitol to prevent lawmakers will back Biden’s victory.

“For those who have committed acts of violence or destruction, you do not represent our country. For those who break the law, you will pay the price,” Trump said, addressing the intruders on Capitol Hill. Trump’s message came shortly after a White House spokeswoman announced that he and his administration condemned “in the strongest terms” the violations that took place in Congress.

“I want to be clear: the violence we witnessed yesterday on Capitol Hill was horrible, reprehensible and contrary to American values,” Kelly McKinani said in a very brief statement, noting that “the president and his administration condemn them in the strongest terms.” .

Pence in Congress, yesterday (AB)

This was the first conviction issued by the White House to what the headquarters of Congress witnessed on Wednesday of the violation of its sanctity and sabotage at the hands of Trump supporters, who were content in the midst of those events by broadcasting a short video in which He addressed his supporters, who assured them that he “ loves ” them and called on them to “ go home. At the same time, he reiterated that the elections were “stolen” from him. On Thursday morning, Trump issued a brief statement committing to an “orderly” transfer of power, reaffirming his “complete disagreement” with the election result.

For his part, Biden said in a speech from his stronghold in Wilmington, Delaware, “Yesterday was in my opinion one of the darkest days in our history,” describing those who participated in the riots that took place on Capitol Hill as “terrorists. “.

As the day wore on, voices were raised to impeach Trump less than two weeks before the end of his term. The leader of the Senate Democrats, Senator Chuck Schumer, called on Vice President Mike Pence to remove Trump because he “incited” his supporters to storm the Capitol.

In turn, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, called for the removal of the president, describing this step as a “matter of great urgency”, and warning that if Trump is not removed under this constitutional mechanism, Congress is ready to launch a mechanism to impeach him through his parliamentary trial.

The New York Times reported yesterday that Pence is opposed to using the 25th amendment to the constitution to force Trump to resign, despite demands from Democrats and some Republicans.

While Pence did not publicly comment on the possibility of resorting to this amendment, which was not used previously in US history, the newspaper quoted a source close to Pence as saying that the vice president opposes this radical step.

The newspaper said Pence’s position is supported by many ministers whose support will be necessary to implement Amendment 25. The newspaper added that these officials “believe that such a move would increase the current chaos in Washington” rather than dissolve it.

On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos became the second member to announce her resignation from the Donald Trump administration after storming the Capitol. “It is undeniable that his speech had an effect on the situation, and this was a turning point for me,” the minister said in a letter to Trump, and several US media received a copy. Hours earlier, US Secretary of Transportation Ellen Chow announced her resignation from her post, a day after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol.

The capitol police chief presented his resignation yesterday, a day after Trump supporters stormed the headquarters of Congress, a source close to him told AFP.

The source said, speaking on condition of anonymity, that Stephen Sand submitted his resignation, which “will take effect on January 16, 2021.” The resignation came hours after the Pelosi president called for the capitol police chief to resign.

Yesterday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo responded to “many people” who compared the United States to a banana republic, including former President George W. Bush, after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building. . Pompeo, close to Trump, said in a message on Twitter: “This defamation reveals a misunderstanding of the banana republics and democracy in the United States.” He wrote that “in the banana republic, popular violence determines (how) power is exercised. In the United States, the security forces stop popular violence so that people’s representatives can exercise power.”

Former US President George W. Bush said the day before yesterday that “the election results are not questioned in this way except in the banana republics, not in our democratic republic.”



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