Germany's Maas Says Trump to Leave White House, But Not US Public Sphere

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th January, 2021) Incumbent US President Donald Trump will vacate the White House, but will remain in the public spotlight, making it difficult for his successor to heal the polarized society, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has said in an interview.

"One of the biggest challenges facing Joe Biden is to put an end to the polarization in the United States. Unfortunately, this will not be easy. Because Donald Trump will leave the White House, but not the American public sphere," Maas told Bild am Sonntag.

According to the German diplomat, Trump will continue to "tell tall tales" that he won the presidential election. Maas also called Trump an "intellectual instigator" of the Capitol storming.

"Trump did not understand and did not accept the rules of the game of democracy," Maas argued.

Speaking about the Trump presidency, the minister noted: "For four years, we have sought the best possible cooperation with the American government. It was difficult, to put it mildly, but we had no choice."

The Biden inauguration is scheduled for January 20. Trump has declared a state of emergency in the capital until January 24 to ensure security during the event in the wake of the January 6 Capitol riot, when a violent mob tried to prevent Congress from certifying the Biden election victory, challenged by the incumbent leader.