Us Presidential Election 2020 News

Following riots at the US Capitol by his supporters, US President Donald Trump said he is "outraged by the violence, lawlessness and mayhem". "I immediately deployed the National Guard and federal law enforcement to expel the intruders," he added. "Tempers must now be cooled and calm restored...my focus now turns to ensuring a smooth...transition of power," he further said.

US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos resigned on Thursday following riots at the US Capitol by President Donald Trump's supporters. Chao said that the mob attack "has deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside", adding that her resignation will take effect on Monday. Meanwhile, DeVos said the attack was unconscionable.

Donald Trump can be removed from office before his term ends on January 20 if VP Mike Pence and majority of the US President's Cabinet declare he is unable to perform his duties, invoking the 25th Amendment. Trump could subsequently declare he is capable. If Pence and Cabinet members dispute Trump's declaration, the issue would then be decided by Congress.

After Twitter permanently suspended his personal account, US President Donald Trump said, "We are looking at possibilities of building our own platform in near future. We will not be silenced. Twitter is not about free speech." Trump tweeted this from the official account of the US President (@POTUS). The tweet has now been taken down.

Over 960 organisations and individuals, including Google, Microsoft, Qualcomm and Boeing, have donated more than $200 for US President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, the Presidential Inaugural Committee said. The committee did not list individual totals or provide additional details of the donations. The inauguration ceremony will be held on January 20.

Over 3,000 donors, including Amazon and Uber, made new contributions to US President-elect Joe Biden's inaugural ceremonies. The Biden Presidential Inaugural Committee disclosed the names of 3,184 additional donors after it made its first disclosure of 959 donors, which included Microsoft and Google, last week. Each donor has given at least $200, but individual amounts have not been disclosed.

US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, during a town hall meeting, said that Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook "bear partial responsibility" for the US Capitol violence on January 6. Facebook is currently trying to do as much "damage control" as possible, but they knew, Ocasio-Cortez said. She further suggested that Facebook has a "complete lack of accountability" to democracy.

US defence officials have said they are worried about an insider attack or other threat from service members involved in securing President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. The FBI is screening all of the 25,000 National Guard troops coming into Washington DC for the event. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy warned commanders to be on the lookout for any problems within their ranks.

Twitter on Wednesday transferred the official President of the United States Twitter account, @POTUS, to Joe Biden after he was sworn in as the 46th President of US. The account was reset to zero, which means that President Biden did not inherit Donald Trump's 33.3 million followers. Other official accounts, including @WhiteHouse, @FLOTUS and @VP, were also transferred.

Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai took to Twitter to applaud US President Joe Biden's "quick action on COVID relief, the Paris Climate Accord, and immigration reform". "Google has supported action on these important issues and we look forward to working with the new administration to help the US recover from the pandemic and grow our economy," he further wrote.

Amazon has offered to help US President Joe Biden's administration in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Amazon's retail unit chief CEO Dave Clark has also promised to assist the administration in reaching their goal of vaccinating 100 million Americans in the first 100 days of their administration. "We have an agreement...to administer vaccines on-site at our Amazon facilities," Clark said.

The official Twitter account for the President of the United States, @POTUS, gained over 53 lakh followers within 24 hours of the account being transferred to President Joe Biden. The account was reset to zero on Wednesday, removing 3.3 crore followers of former President Donald Trump. Vice President Kamala Harris gained around 74 lakh followers on the official @VP account.

Former US Presidents Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton have recorded a joint video to wish Joe Biden, the 46th US President, a successful term. Bush, a Republican, said that the joint message "speaks to the institutional integrity of our country", while Obama said that despite differences, "as Americans, we have more in common than what separates us".

More than 150 National Guard troops who were deployed in Washington DC for Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony have tested positive for COVID-19, a US official said. The official added that the number of troops who tested positive could rise further. The National Guard declined to comment, but said all of its personnel were following guidelines.

Former US President Donald Trump pushed the Justice Department to ask Supreme Court to invalidate Joe Biden's victory, a report said. Trump also wanted to replace the then-acting Attorney General, Jeffrey Rosen, with a loyalist who would help him pursue his claims of election fraud. However, he backed off the plan after top Justice Department officials threatened to resign.

Garret Miller, a Texas man who was allegedly involved in the January 6 US Capitol riots, has been charged with threatening to "assassinate" US Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. According to court documents, he had allegedly tweeted, "Assassinate AOC". Miller faces five criminal charges, including for making death threats and trespassing offences.

YouTube has extended the suspension of former US President Donald Trump's channel from its platform indefinitely. "In light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence, the Donald J Trump channel will remain suspended," a YouTube spokesperson told POLITICO. Separately, YouTube has temporarily barred Trump's former adviser Rudy Giuliani from generating revenue off his YouTube channel.

Facebook's Oversight Board is seeking public feedback on the company's decision to ban former US President Donald Trump from its platform. The board has also highlighted two posts that led to Trump's suspension for an indefinite period, including a one-minute video posted on January 6 where Trump urged his supporters who stormed the US Capitol to "go home in peace".