WASHINGTON (Reuters) –President Donald Trump conceded for the first time on Thursday that Joe Biden will be the next U.S. president, a day after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol as Congress was certifying Biden’s victory.
Trump, who as recently as Thursday morning had continued to claim falsely that the election had been stolen from him, said that “serving as your president has been the honor of my lifetime” in a video released on Thursday evening.
The president condemned Wednesday’s violence, saying rioters had defiled the seat of American democracy, and said his focus would now turn to ensuring a smooth transition.
The statement was a stark reversal for Trump, who has spent months insisting he prevailed in the Nov. 3 election due to widespread fraud, despite no evidence.
Trump’s remarks arrived after top Democrats called for his removal from office following Wednesday’s assault.
(Reporting by Steve Holland and Andrea Shalal; Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick, David Shepardson, Michael Martina, Lisa Lambert, Susan Heavey, Daphne Psaledakis, Doina Chiacu, Susan Cornwell, Richard Cowan, Jan Wolfe, Trevor Hunnicutt and Jonathan Landay; Writing by Joseph Ax and Andy Sullivan; Editing by Will Dunham, Howard Goller and Peter Cooney)
