[direwolf]

Lol, he's so pathetic. For the sake of everyone, it's probably best that he just goes into hiding for the rest of his life. Dude is easily the most hated man in the world.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/19/polit...ess/index.html

While he's eagerly anticipating his military-style send-off from Joint Base Andrews on Inauguration morning -- one of the few items that have cheered him up recently -- there were already signs the crowd may be smaller than he'd hoped. And a slate of actual celebrities lined up for Biden's inauguration has disappointed a president who tried and often failed to secure A-list support for his own presidency.

He hasn't left the White House or been seen in public for a week. On Monday evening he taped a valedictory final message from the Blue Room of the White House, ticking through several achievements that he believes should define his administration.

The video is expected to be released on Tuesday, an official said, although a final timing had not been determined. 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.

Trump recorded the message late Monday with a skeleton staff. In it, he made a reference to the "new administration," an official said, but it was unclear whether he offered a concession to President-elect Joe Biden that he has refused so far to do.

Ordinarily, presidents spent their final weeks in office looking to hone their legacy through exit interviews, policy speeches and the capstone farewell address, delivered in prime time for the largest possible audience. But after inciting a riot mob that stormed the US Capitol, Trump's aides have attempted to keep him away from any situation that could aggravate the situation further.

That includes keeping Trump from any type of live, off-the-cuff scenario where he might reverse the carefully scripted work that went into his taped speeches last week condemning the insurrectionist violence and vowing a smooth transition.

When Trump presented a final batch of Medals of Freedom this month, it occurred behind closed doors. All of his speeches have been taped by White House cameras, with aides watching closely to ensure Trump does not divert from his script.

Trump's former communications director turned critic, Anthony Scaramucci, was invited to the departure. He told CNN he did not plan to attend, but saw his invitation as a sign the White House was eager to bulk up the guest list.

But Trump has mostly dismissed the traditions that go along with leaving office. He has not contacted Biden and will be the first president in 150 years to boycott his successor's inauguration.

Trump once marveled at the reception he received from President Barack Obama, who met with him in the Oval Office after the 2016 election and welcomed him to the White House on the morning of his inauguration. In the early days of his presidency, Trump liked to show visitors the letter Obama wrote him and left in the top drawer of the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.

It wasn't clear whether Trump would reciprocate that gesture. Aides said he hasn't written one yet.