US President Donald Trump met tonight (Tuesday) with his deputy, Mike Pence, at the White House – for the first time since the riots on Capitol Hill last Wednesday. A senior White House source said in an official statement that the conversation between them was “good” and that during it they discussed, among other things, “the work and achievements of the administration over the past four years.” He said the two agreed that “those who broke the law and stormed the Capitol building do not represent the ‘First America’ movement supported by 75 million Americans,” and that they “pledged to continue working for the nation for the rest of their tenure.”
After the meeting, Trump approved a state of emergency in Washington by Jan. 24, following Joe Biden’s inauguration, following warnings from the FBI that the life of the president-elect had been threatened and that violent protests were feared. Lantern will attend the ceremony, but Trump has announced he will not attend.
The meeting between Trump and Pence took place in the shadow of reports of tensions between them due to the riots in the Capitol. As a reminder, Trump demanded his deputy refrain from approving the election results at Wednesday’s special congressional hearing, and when he refused to do so, he attacked him on Twitter: “Mike Pence does not have the courage to do what is right to do to protect our country and constitution.” After the protesters broke into the Capitol building, Lantern and members of Congress were forced to evacuate to safety.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party yesterday began a process designed to oust Trump from office, claiming that he had incited the protesters to revolt and was unfit to serve as president. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said lawmakers would vote on a resolution calling for Lantern to convene the Cabinet within 24 hours and launch the 25th Amendment to Trump to oust Trump: “This president poses a threat to our constitution and democracy,” she said. A flashlight with Trump apparently indicates that he does not intend to comply with the demand for his removal, and the Democrats intend to launch a speedy dismissal process against the outgoing president.The proposal is expected to pass in the House of Representatives, which has a Democratic majority, but Trump’s convictions in the Senate are questionable.