Trump initially did not want to air a video denouncing the loyalists to whom he largely supported his actions – and whom he said he “loved” a day earlier – but told aides to prepare a speech and then decide.
After reading the brief script they had prepared, Trump agreed to record it on Thursday evening: a relief for the staff, although concerns persisted that he could backtrack during the last days in office, as his current position has not changed: he lost the election unfairly.
However, after admitting that he will stop serving a second term, Trump has begun to consider how he will spend his last days in the White House, according to people who know the subject.
But with the end of Trump, for now, his false bet to nullify the election results, the hope among advisers is that he will finally focus on his post-presidency.
Assistants still have a long list of executive actions they expect him to sign during his waning days, including a review of U.S. purchasing provisions. There is talk of a trip next week to see progress on the border wall, one of Trump’s most proud achievements. And a raft of pardons is expected, including those possible for him and his family, in the coming days.
Aides are still discussing an address or a farewell interview, but acknowledge that the video Trump posted Thursday saying “a new administration will be inaugurated on Jan. 20” is the closest to a concession he will get.
“My focus now is on ensuring a smooth, orderly and perfect power transition,” he said, speaking monotonously and reading from a teleprompter. “This moment requires healing and reconciliation.”
The video with a high screenplay by Trump acknowledging that he will leave the White House is the tone his advisers expect when he leaves office. Thursday’s video was firm, recorded inside and looked very edited. Trump showed little emotion as he admitted that his time as president was coming to an end.
Earlier in the day, Trump called off a visit to Camp David scheduled for this weekend, according to a source familiar with the planning, which would probably have been his last time in the presidential retreat. He had planned to go before the riots, but decided on Thursday, amid questions about resignations and defections from the Cabinet, to stay in Washington. Other “durations” are still in the air, such as his last flight aboard Air Force One.
Trump must also decide soon when and how he wants to leave the White House. Officials still do not expect him to attend the inauguration, although he has been asking advisers if he should do so. Some have been told it is not ruled out.
According to a source familiar with the conversation, Vice President Mike Pence, whom Trump cursed Wednesday after informing the president that he could not overturn election results, according to a source familiar with the conversation, may be attending.
At this point, Trump is expected to go to his exclusive Mar-a-Lago member complex in Palm Beach, Florida, after leaving the White House for the last time, despite his displeasure at the recent reforms of the your private apartment.
While answering the election results, Trump refused to engage in discussions about how he wanted to spend his last days in the White House or what he wanted to do next.
Officials are anxious for conservation to begin now, hoping to spend some time focusing on Trump’s “legacy,” though many inside the building believe his behavior will lead to riots this week.