'We Did What We Came To Do': Trump Stresses Record in Farewell Address

By Dana Cruz First Posted: Jan 19, 2021 10:39 PM EST

(Photo : White House) Screenshot: Farewell Address of President Donald J. Trump

President Donald Trump touted his economic and foreign policy record in his farewell address posted Tuesday before leaving office.

In the farewell address posted on YouTube, Trump said: "We did what we came to do - and so much more." He also talked about "the tough battles" and "the hardest fights" he had to face as president, tasks that he was elected to do.

Despite his continuous efforts to discredit votes for President-elect Joe Biden, Trump said he was prepared "to hand power over to a new administration at noon on Wednesday."

In the nearly 20-minute farewell address, Trump made no mentions of Biden but he wished good luck to the new administration in general, noted USA Today.

Biden will be sworn in as the new president of the United States on noon of Wednesday. Trump said he won't be attending the ceremony, making him the first president in more than a century to skip the inauguration of the incoming president.

Instead, he will have a send-off event at Joint Base Andrews before going to Florida on Wednesday.

Trump's Farewell Address Lists Economic, Foreign Policy Successes

As he listed his achievements over the past four years, Trump focused on the rising stock market and said he was proud to be "the first president in decades who has started no new wars."

Trump also thanked the Secret Service, some key members of his staff and Cabinet and his supporters.

He described his successful "America First" platform, a foreign policy that included expansions in trade tariffs, and told reporters that "the movement we started is only just beginning".

He also acknowledged the U.S.'s withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, although Biden said the U.S. would rejoin once he took office.

Trump also mentioned the advancements made in COVID-19 vaccine development but did not dive into problems in distribution and the death toll of the virus.

Trump Skips Over Impeachment in Farewell Address

Over the past two weeks, Trump's term had seen a fallout especially with the Capitol riot last January 6 where a mob of his supporters seeking to overturn the election stormed the U.S. Congress, noted BBC.

He criticized the attack that pushed lawmakers to get him impeached and used harsher language than he did before.

"Political violence is an attack on everything we cherish as Americans. It can never be tolerated," Trump said.

Al Jazeera pointed out that critics believed Trump was egging on his supporters during his January 6 message to them where he told them to go home and "We love you."

He also repeated his claim that the election was "stolen" during this statement.

If Trump gets convicted by Senate following his impeachment proceedings, he won't be allowed to hold federal office again.

Meanwhile, some of Trump's opponents said they were glad to see his term come to an end.

"Donald Trump was a stain on our country," Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on MSNBC. She added that democracy may not have been sustained if Trump continued to a second term as he "dishonored" the Constitution.

A full transcript of Trump's address can be seen on the White House website.