Articles circulating on social media make the false claim that the inauguration of President Joe Biden’s inauguration has been canceled and that President Donald Trump “will remain in office”. This is false.
The article entitled “Inauguration Canceled, Trump Remains in Office, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CNN, MSNBC to License Lose” was published on January 14 by the website Before It’s News here and on other websites here, here.
The alleged article contains a false statement allegedly made by President Donald Trump about the call for the Insurrection Act. Reuters dropped this claim earlier here.
Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are expected to be sworn in on January 20. The inaugural committee scaled back the usual inauguration events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which canceled the traditional parade and inauguration balls normally held in Washington (here).
The schedule for the official events for the 59th presidential inauguration is visible at bideninaugural.org/schedule/. It features a 90-minute special “Celebrating America” special, presented by actor Tom Hanks, which is broadcast on television networks CBS, ABC, CNN, NBC and MSNBC and streamed on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other online platforms.
Trump announced on Twitter that he would not attend the inauguration of his successor, hours after promising a peaceful transfer of power. (here). On January 14, Vice President Mike Pence pledged to uphold US history and ensure a secure transfer of power (here).
Last week, the website Before It’s News was one of a series of websites with another fake report, which was leaked here by Reuters.
VERDICT
Untrue. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ inauguration has not been canceled. The Insurrection Act was not appealed. The incorrect report was published by a website that previously shared false information.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our work to actually check social media posts.