Donald Trump to become first president in 152 years to sidestep his successor’s inauguration

US President Donald Trump is set to become the first president in 152 years, and only the fourth in US history, to eschew the inauguration ceremony of his successor – Joe Biden – on January 20, reported CBS News.

Following two months of speculations on whether he will attend the ceremony or not, Trump on Thursday, tweeted from his recently-blocked Twitter account, “To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th.”

Also read: Donald Trump’s actions ‘will be judged harshly by history’: Nikki Haley

Having said that, former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, are planning to attend the ceremony, while 96-year-old Jimmy Carter, the only other living former president said he will be unavailable.

Traditionally, outgoing presidents attend the ceremony as a symbol of peaceful transfer of power. Even defeated presidential candidates sometimes attend the inauguration like Hillary Clinton did during Trump’s swearing-in in 2017.

While Biden had earlier suggested that it would be a good thing for Trump to attend the ceremony, he announced his changed opinions on Friday. He said, “One of the few things he and I have ever agreed on. It’s a good thing, him not showing up.”

The last president to skip his successor’s ceremony was Andrew Johnson in 1869. The other two before him were John Adams in 1801 and  John Quincy Adams, his son.  Johnson was also the first president to be impeached.