The White House announced on Wednesday (October 30th) that regardless of whether Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Trump wins the upcoming presidential election next week, President Biden will participate in the inauguration ceremony for the next president to be held in January next year, ensuring a peaceful transfer of power.
White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Wednesday, “The President is confident that power will be peacefully transferred, and this is something you will see him do.”
“It is not about him. It is about the American people. It is something that the American people need to see, regardless of who wins,” the spokesperson continued.
She also stated that attending the inauguration of the new president is part of the power transition, and as the outgoing president, Biden “will definitely attend this ceremony.”
According to tradition, outgoing U.S. presidents attend the successor’s swearing-in ceremony on the steps of the Capitol Building. However, due to disputes over the results of the last presidential election, Trump broke this tradition in 2021 by not attending Biden’s inauguration ceremony. He and former First Lady Melania Trump left the White House hours before Biden’s inauguration, departing Washington on a helicopter.
However, Trump’s Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen attended the inauguration ceremony.
Jean-Pierre did not mention these events during the White House press briefing on Wednesday.
Polls show that Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Trump are currently neck and neck in the race.
Biden was originally considered the presumptive Democratic nominee for the 2024 presidential election, but he withdrew from the race in July and announced his support for Kamala Harris. Harris smoothly secured the Democratic nomination in August and raised a substantial amount of campaign funds.