Amid talk about his dismissal, and after a chaos of resignations and dismissals in the White House, the outgoing US President Donald Trump called, Thursday, January 7, 2021, for "reconciliation and healing" after his supporters stormed the Capitol building on Wednesday and wreaked havoc on it, stressing that he wanted A "smooth" transition of power to an administration succeeded by President-elect Joe Biden.
Trump's initiative came, after a few hours of internal and external violent reactions, that held him responsible for the riots that occurred on Tuesday, when supporters of the president stormed the US Congress building, in a precedent not seen in 200 years.
Trump wants to heal the wounds
The US President said in a video clip he posted on his Twitter account, "A new administration will be installed on January 20. My focus now is on ensuring a calm, orderly and smooth transition of power. This moment requires healing and reconciliation."
He added that he was "indignant at the acts of violence, lawlessness and chaos" committed by his supporters at the headquarters of Congress, where a woman was shot dead during clashes between them and the security forces when they stormed the Capitol to prevent lawmakers from endorsing Biden's victory in the presidency.
Trump also addressed the Capitol intruders, saying: "To those who have committed acts of violence or destruction, you do not represent our country. For those who break the law, you will pay the price."
He recalls that the day before, Trump addressed his supporters, saying, "We love you, you are amazing," and urged them to leave after storming the Congress building.
The White House is trying to remedy the situation
Trump's message came shortly after a White House spokeswoman announced that he and his administration condemned "in the strongest terms possible" the violations of Wednesday.
Kelly McKinani said in a very brief statement: "I want to be clear: the acts of violence that we witnessed yesterday at the Capitol were horrific, reprehensible, and contrary to American values," stressing that "the president and his administration condemn them in the strongest possible terms."
That was the first condemnation issued by the White House of what the Congress headquarters witnessed Wednesday of the violation of its sanctity and sabotage at the hands of supporters of Trump, who was content in the midst of those events broadcast a short video in which he addressed his supporters, who assured them that he "loves them" and called them to "return to their homes." While emphasizing at the same time that the elections were "stolen" from him.
On Thursday morning, Trump issued a brief statement committing to an "orderly" transfer of power, reaffirming his "complete disagreement" with the election result.
Claims to impeach Trump
As the hours of day passed, voices were raised to impeach Trump less than two weeks before the end of his term.
The leader of the Democrats in the Senate, Senator Chuck Schumer, called on Vice President Mike Pence to impeach Trump for "inciting" his supporters to storm the Capitol.
In turn, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for the president to be removed from office, considering this step a "very urgent matter," and warning that if Trump is not granted this constitutional mechanism, Congress is ready to launch a mechanism to impeach him through a parliamentary trial.
For his part, the Capitol Police chief submitted his resignation Thursday, the day after Trump supporters stormed the headquarters of Congress, according to what a source close to him told AFP.
The source said, on condition of anonymity, that Stephen Sand submitted his resignation, which "will become effective as of January 16, 2021." The resignation came hours after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for the capitol police chief to step down.