Vice President Mike Pence is not expected to attend President Trump’s send-off event on Inauguration Day.
Pence is planning to attend President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony at the U.S. Capitol. A source familiar with the discussions told the Washington Examiner that logistics will prevent the vice president from also being at the departure ceremony for his boss. Congressional leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, are also expected to attend Mass with Biden before the inauguration, according to Axios.
Trump is set to fly out of the White House early on Inauguration Day before attending the military send-off at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland and leaving aboard Air Force One for Florida some time after 8 a.m. In a break with tradition, Trump said he will not attend the inauguration of his successor.
Long considered a close and loyal ally to Trump, Pence broke with the president in refusing to try and block the certification of Biden’s victory as he presided over a joint session of Congress earlier this month. As that process began, a mob of mostly Trump supporters breached the U.S. Capitol and forced members of Congress to be evacuated and hunker down for several hours. Five people, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer, died amid the chaos.
One week ago, a day before Trump was impeached in the House for incitement of insurrection, Pence rejected calls from House Democrats to invoke the 25th Amendment against Trump.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to say only congressional leaders, and not Mike Pence, were expected to attend Mass with Biden.
