Trump Isn't The First President To Snub His Successor's Inauguration

Donald Trump has announced that he will not be attending Joe Biden’s inauguration, confirming what many had speculated for months. He did so via a short tweet, characteristic for a president who has recently been mostly AWOL from the platform after being temporarily banned for seemingly encouraging the riots in Washington, D.C.

Outgoing presidents have attended their successor’s inauguration since the very start of the union, but Trump actually wouldn’t be the first to skip the event. A total of five presidents have missed their last ceremony as president: John Adams in 1801, John Quincy Adams in 1829, and Andrew Johnson in 1869 all opted not to attend out of bad blood with their successors, according to the presidential profiles of the late Columbia University historian Henry F. Graff.

Richard Nixon and Woodrow Wilson join the list on somewhat better terms, with Nixon having technically missed the swearing-in due to the hurried nature of his departure from office and Wilson forced to miss the event due to his poor health after his presidency.

President Trump’s confirmation that he would join their ranks was only his third tweet since the chaos unfolded in Washington D.C. Wednesday, which is partially owed to the temporary ban placed on his account following the riots.

The move was met by predictable joy from liberals, who were happy to hear that their least favorite president wouldn’t be interrupting the celebrations. Some of Trump’s supporters were also pleased, taking the moment to praise the president or repeat his unverified claims of voter fraud in the process.