Florida Sen. Rick Scott is urging President Donald Trump reconsider his decision to not attend the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
Trump had announced on Friday that he would skip the event. “To all of those who have asked,” Trump wrote on Twitter, “I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th.”
For his part, Biden seemed pleased. He told reporters on Friday that Trump not being there would be a “good thing,” adding that the president’s decision was “one of the few things he and I have ever agreed on.”
Biden, who has repeatedly called for unity and healing since the Nov. 3 election, added, “He exceeded even my worst notions about him. He’s been an embarrassment to the country, embarrassed us around the world. He’s not worthy to hold that office.”
In a statement on Friday, however, Scott, a Republican and Florida’s former governor, encouraged Trump to reconsider.
“This week, America watched as a group of lawless thugs stormed the Capitol, incited violence, and attacked our democracy and our American ideals,” Scott’s office said in a press release.
“Their actions were disgraceful and un-American — that is not what our country stands for. Everyone has a right to peacefully protest. No one has a right to commit violence, and those responsible for this heinous attack must be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The statement then added, “The Electoral College has spoken, the President has committed to an orderly transition and that process is underway. Senator Scott is urging the President to reconsider his decision to skip the inauguration, which is an important tradition that demonstrates the peaceful transfer of power to our people and to the world. It’s time to move our nation forward.”
It also contained a direct quote from the first-term senator, who said, “I am urging the President to reconsider his decision to skip the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.”
“He is, of course, not constitutionally required to attend and I can imagine losing an election is very hard, but I believe he should attend. I plan to attend and believe it is an important tradition that demonstrates the peaceful transfer of power to our people and to the world.”