Less than 24 hours after acknowledging his election loss, U.S. President Donald Trump is again urging grassroots supporters to keep the faith.
Trump, whose Twitter account was briefly frozen in the aftermath of the riots on Capitol Hill, finally admitted Thursday that he won't be president much longer.
But he's back tweeting this morning, promising his supporters they will continue to have a "giant voice" going forward and saying he won't attend the inauguration of Joe Biden.
The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2021
To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2021
The message comes with Trump's presidency, scheduled to end Jan. 20, now in real danger of ending even earlier.
Democrats enraged by Wednesday's riot, which they say Trump incited, are mobilizing to make him the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice.
Media reports suggest Vice-President Mike Pence won't support their other option: a constitutional rule that allows an unfit commander-in-chief to be removed from office.
Trump vowed Friday that the 75 million "great American patriots" who voted for him in November would continue to be heard.
"They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form," he tweeted.
The message appears aimed at those members of his base who have expressed dismay at Trump's pledge to ensure an orderly transfer of power in 12 days.
Online forums popular with Trump supporters suggest some of them are disillusioned by the outcome of Wednesday's riots and are now losing faith in their leader.