Trying to clean up his legacy, US President Donald Trump trumpeted his accomplishments on Tuesday and wished his successor luck in a farewell video that was posted on his last full day in office.
“This week a new administration takes office, and we pray that it will succeed in keeping America safe and prosperous,” Trump said in the video, released by the White House less than 24 hours before the president-elect was inaugurated. Joe Biden. “We extend our best wishes. And we also want you to be lucky. A very important word ”.
Trump, who spent months trying to delegitimize Biden on unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud, referred to the “next administration” but did not mention Biden by name. Many of Trump’s supporters continue to say the election was stolen, despite the fact that numerous judges, Republican state officials and even the Trump administration itself have said there is no evidence of this.
Trump is expected to spend his last hours in office granting clemency to a hundred people, according to two people familiar with the plans. The list of pardons and commutations will most likely include names not known to the public – regular people who have spent years in prison – but also friends and allies with political connections like those he has previously forgiven.
The president spent much of his video message touting what he considers to be his greatest achievements, including attempts to normalize relations in the Middle East, the development of vaccines against the coronavirus and the creation of the Space Force.
Donald Trump has remained out of the public eye since a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol earlier this month to try to prevent the peaceful transition of power. His collaborators asked him to spend the last days in the White House participating in a series of events to cement his legacy. But Trump, who remains consumed by anger and complaints about his electoral defeat, mostly refused. He has not been seen in public since last week when he traveled to Texas for one last chance to have his photo taken by the border wall he pushed so hard for during his presidency. In the end, he spent less than 45 minutes there and spoke for only 21 minutes.