President Biden has hinted that he would attend Donald Trump’s inauguration if he is re-elected to the White House in November. Reporters asked the President if he would turn up to the event in the name of the peaceful transfer of power, and he replied, “I have good manners, not like him.”
In 2021, Donald Trump became the first outgoing President in 150 years not to attend his successor’s inauguration. The Republican continues to insist that Biden stole the election and encourages his supporters to believe the same. At the time, President Biden welcomed Trump’s decision to avoid the event, which was held weeks after the January 6 riots on Capitol Hill. The President said Trump’s decision to stay away was a “good thing” and “one of the few things he and I would ever agree on.”
Biden described Donald Trump as an embarrassment to the United States and said the Republican had exceeded even his worst expectations. “He’s not worthy to hold that office,” he concluded.
The first President not to attend his successor’s inauguration was John Adams in 1801. The new Commander-in-Chief was Thomas Jefferson, who was declared victorious by the House of Representatives after electoral college votes were tied between him and Arron Burr. Adams left the Capitol on the morning of the inauguration, and historians say this was mainly due to his personal struggles following the death of his 30-year-old son.
Adams’ son, President John Quincy Adams, who ran against Andrew Jackson in 1828, also did not attend the victor’s inauguration. Jackson was furious about the previous election in 1824, which he believed was stolen from him. Neither candidate won the electoral vote, once again leaving the decision to the House of Representatives.
In 1869, Andrew Johnson refused to attend Ulysses S. Grant’s swearing-in, still angry that he had not been nominated as his party’s candidate because he had become the first US President to be impeached in 1868. He avoided losing his Presidency by one vote.