President Trump鈥檚 last Tweet before being permanently banned from Twitter was to inform his followers he won鈥檛 be attending the inauguration of President-elect Biden on Jan. 20. The last time a sitting president didn鈥檛 attend his successor鈥檚 inauguration was in 1869, when President Andrew Johnson skipped out on the swearing in of Ulysses S. Grant as the 18th president. While the context and precedent surrounding a predecessor president missing the inauguration of his successor is grim, a vast majority of Americans from both parties agree with Trump鈥檚 decision to stay away on Jan. 20.
, 45 percent of U.S. adults strongly support the president鈥檚 decision to skip Biden鈥檚 inauguration. Another 12 percent somewhat support it, while 28 percent either somewhat or strongly oppose his decision to do so. A remaining 16 percent of Americans are unsure what to make of the situation entirely.
Both Democrats and Republicans support the president鈥檚 decision to skip the ceremony in various ways. For Democrats, many see Trump鈥檚 prolonged refusal to accept the election results and his role in inciting a pro-Trump mob to storm the U.S. Capitol as a potential distraction for the swearing in of Biden. For Republicans that continue to believe false conspiracies of widespread election fraud, they see Trump鈥檚 absence as a continuation of his refusal to recognize the new administration.
