Thousands of supporters are planning a virtual “second inauguration” for President Donald Trump on Jan. 20 to compete with Democratic candidate Joe Biden’s presumptive ceremony.
More than 60,000 people have signed dup to attend an event billed as “Donald J. Trump 2nd Presidential Inauguration Ceremony” on Facebook.
“Disclaimer: We are a grassroots collection of private individuals 325,000 strong, showing our support for President Donald J. Trump. We have no affiliation with any formal organization,” the page’s description states.
Facebook added a fact check to the page, stating, “Joe Biden is the President-elect. He will be inaugurated as the 46th US President on January 20, 2021.”
The event is scheduled to take place on Jan. 20 at 12 p.m. around the time of Biden’s swearing-in.
Ilir Chami and Evi Kokalari, who was reportedly a part of Trump’s 2020 campaign, are hosting the event.
Trump was reportedly considering hosting an event himself on the day of Biden’s inauguration.
“The president has, in the past two weeks, even floated the idea of doing a 2024-related event during Biden’s inauguration week, possibly on Inauguration Day,” the left-wing Daily Beast reported last month.
The White House, however, denied the report and said Trump has not decided what he is going to do on Inauguration Day.
“Anonymous sources who claim to know what the President is or is not considering have no idea. When President Trump has an announcement about his plans for Jan. 20 he will let you know,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement.
Several Republicans have encouraged Trump to attend Biden’s inauguration, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
“I think that we’ve only had a couple of presidents in history who didn’t” attend their successors’ inauguration, Gingrich told conservative talk radio host Hugh Hewitt. “John Quincy Adams didn’t. And the Republican in 1868 didn’t. But other than those two, it’s a routine.”
“If he does not go, I think he has to explain why,” Gingrich added. “So I think Trump’s got to decide, you know, what best communicates his message. I think his instinct is not to go, because he’s convinced the election was stolen.”
