Trump offers ‘best wishes’ to new administration in farewell video
WASHINGTON, DC -- President Trump released a video farewell message on his last full day as President, describing his accomplishments and offering luck and "best wishes" to the incoming administration.
The video struck more of a conciliatory tone than more recent messages from Trump.
"This week, we inaugurate a new administration and pray for its success in keeping America safe and prosperous," he says in the video. "We extend our best wishes and we also want them to have luck — a very important word."
He describes his accomplishments and says he worked arduously for the American people, framing his presidency as one that championed the forgotten while making no apologies for his brazen approach to politics.
"America is not a timid nation of tame souls who need to be sheltered and protected from those with whom we disagree," he says.
He touts having not started any new foreign wars and adopting a tough stance on China. And he takes credit for a resurgent US economy, even though it has slowed during the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump made no mention of President-elect Joe Biden, but did allude to the violence at the Capitol earlier this month.
"All Americans were horrified by the assault on our Capitol. Political violence is an attack on everything we cherish as Americans. It can never be tolerated," he says.
The President, who hasn't left the White House or been seen in public for a week, recorded the message late Monday with a skeleton staff. Unlike most of his predecessors in the television era, a live prime-time farewell address attempting to burnish what has become a badly tarnished legacy is no longer in the cards.
