Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Tuesday that President Donald Trump should “probably” attend Joe Biden’s inauguration in January.
In an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt, the Georgia Republican noted attendance at the event is customary, but acknowledged Trump’s “instinct is not to go.”
“I think that we’ve only had a couple of presidents in history who didn’t” attend their successors’ inauguration, Gingrich told Hewitt, The Hill reported.
“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 said. “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.”
Gingrich also said he doubted Trump’s refusal to accept the election results would hurt another run in 2024.
“I think in 2024, if Biden has done an amazing job, and everything’s working, Biden will be hard to beat,” he said. “In 2024, if, as I suspect will happen, all of the various left-wing policies fail and we’re in a total mess, nobody’s going to look back and worry about this period.”
The president is reportedly considering officially kicking off a 2024 bid timed to coincide with Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
At an event hosted by The Hill last week, Rep.-elect Darrell Issa, R-Calif., also called on Trump to attend the inauguration.
“The reality is when the outgoing and the incoming president join, it is a unique time,” Issa said at the event. “It’s a time in which America respects both of these as they transition, and it’s an important time, and I hope it will occur.”
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