President Donald Trump does not mention his successor, Democrat Joe Biden, by name in his farewell address.
President Trump refers to the “next” and “new” administration in the nearly 20-minute speech taped in the White House Blue Room and released on Tuesday, on the eve of Mr Biden’s inauguration.
President Trump has refused to publicly concede to Mr Biden. He spent the weeks after the election blaming his loss on widespread voter fraud that did not exist.
President Trump’s efforts to overturn the will of the voters peaked on January 6 when a violent mob of his supporters overran the Capitol as Congress met to certify Mr Biden’s victory. Five people died.
President Trump acknowledged in his farewell address that he will “hand power over to a new administration at noon on Wednesday” – when his term ends and Mr Biden’s begins.
The president spent much of the address trumpeting what he sees as his top achievements, including efforts to normalise relations in the Middle East, the development of coronavirus vaccinations and the creation of a new Space Force.
“We did what we came here to do — and so much more,” he said.
President Trump is set to leave Washington early on Wednesday morning and has been planning a grand farewell event at nearby Joint Base Andrews.
Once there, he will board Air Force One for a final time, flying to Florida and becoming the first outgoing president in more than a century to skip the inauguration of his successor.
Meanwhile, aides from Mr Biden’s camp say the president-elect will use his inaugural address to call for national unity and offer an optimistic message that Americans can get past the dark moment by working together.
To reinforce the message, he extended invitations to Congress’ top four Republican and Democratic leaders to attend Mass with him at St Matthew’s Cathedral ahead of the inauguration ceremony.
