President Joe Biden will attend the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump despite Trump not coming to his inauguration four years ago, a spokesperson for President Biden said.
First lady Jill Biden will also be in attendance.
“The president promised that he would attend the inauguration of whomever won the election. He and the first lady are going to honor that promise and attend the inauguration. He views that as an important demonstration of commitment to our democratic values and to honoring the will of the people as we continue to provide an orderly and effective transition,” White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said.
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The inauguration will be held on the steps of the U.S. Capitol at noon on Jan. 20. It is unknown if Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost to Trump in the 2024 election, will attend. It's also unknown if former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush or Barack Obama will attend. President Jimmy Carter is not expected to attend as he has been in hospice care since early 2023.
The transition of power back to Trump has been more traditional than when he left office. One week after Trump's election win, President Biden invited Trump to the Oval Office for a customary meeting between incoming and outgoing administrations. Such a meeting did not occur in 2020.
But not everything has gone according to custom. Last week, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Trump's transition team had not signed a memorandum of understanding between the outgoing and incoming administrations.
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The General Services Administration is generally used to help facilitate changes between administrations, helping the incoming administration get background checks, proper paperwork and essential equipment as the transition occurs. The Trump team had not formalized an agreement with the outgoing administration, as of late last week.
"We’re going to continue to engage with the Trump transition team to ensure that we do have that efficient, effective transition of power," she said. "And in those conversations, we certainly are stressing that the White House and the administration stand ready to provide assistance and that access to services and information certainly outlined in the GSA and the White House Memorandum of Agreement — those MOUs."
Although Biden was projected to win the 2020 election on Nov. 7, 2020, it would take 16 days for the General Services Administration to recognize Biden's win and facilitate a transfer of power.
