Ted Cruz Will Reportedly Attend Joe Biden’s Inauguration
President Donald Trump will not attend his successor Joe Biden’s inauguration, but some of his closest allies in the U.S. Congress reportedly will.
Citing sources briefed on the matter, KXAN reported on Friday that Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas will attend the ceremony.
Sen John Cornyn, Cruz’s fellow Texan, seemingly confirmed the reporting via Twitter. “See you there,” he tweeted, revealing that he, too, will be in attendance.
Cruz led the Republican effort to object to certifying the Electoral College vote. He and several other Republican lawmakers endorsed Trump’s evidence-free theories about widespread voter fraud and attempted to delay the formal confirmation of Biden’s victory.
They mounted their challenges as thousands of Trump supporters protested outside the U.S. Capitol. The mob managed to defeat security forces and stormed the building, vandalizing property and threatening lawmakers’ lives in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 race.
Since then, Cruz has faced intense pressure to resign, with Democrats accusing him of inciting violence. The senator has not budged, however, repeatedly calling for an emergency audit of the 2020 presidential election as to restore public confidence in the electoral process.
Biden has expressed opposition to his colleagues’ suggestions, arguing that neither Cruz nor other Republicans who participated in the attempt to overturn the results should resign.
At a press conference last week, the president-elect argued that the best way to get rid of Cruz and others is to beat them at the ballot box.
“I think they should be just flat beaten the next time they run. I think the American public has a real good clear look at who they are. They’re part of the big lie, the big lie,” he said.
As KXAN noted, while Trump will be the first commander-in-chief in modern history to skip his successor’s inauguration, Vice President Mike Pence will reportedly be there.
As The Hill reported, Biden said last week that it’s a “good thing” Trump won’t attend the ceremony.
Speaking with a group of reporters in Wilmington Delaware, Biden described his predecessor as “an embarrassment to the country,” but noted that he would be “honored” by Pence’s presence.
According to multiple reports, Trump planned to leave the White House on January 19, but he changed his mind and now plans to leave it on January 20.
He will reportedly hold a ceremonial farewell at Joint Base Andrews, where Air Force One is headquartered, and then fly to Palm Beach, Florida, to his Mar-a-Lago club.
