Vice President Mike Pence will attend President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s inauguration on Jan. 20, an aide to the vice president said on Saturday, a split with President Trump’s decision not to go.
Mr. Pence and Mr. Trump have not spoken since Wednesday, an administration official said, before pro-Trump loyalists swarmed the Capitol as Congress convened to tally the Electoral College votes. As president of the Senate, Mr. Pence had the constitutionally designated task of opening and counting envelopes sent from all 50 states and announcing their electoral results.
In the days leading to the joint session of Congress, Mr. Trump had publicly and privately pressured Mr. Pence to overturn the certifications and throw them back to the states so that Mr. Trump could try to undo results in states that he had lost.
Mr. Trump confirmed on Friday that he would not be attending the inauguration. Mr. Biden said this week that he was happy not to have Mr. Trump there, but that Mr. Pence was “welcome” and that it would help with the transition.
Mr. Pence had always been likelier to attend the inauguration than Mr. Trump, who was almost certain to skip the ceremony. But after the Capitol breach on Wednesday that left at least five people dead, Mr. Pence’s decision was expected.
