PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — While taking questions at a Wilmington press conference about the siege of the U.S. Capitol, President-elect Joe Biden made his strongest denunciation yet of outgoing President Donald Trump.
Biden began by offering his sympathy for the death of the Capitol police officer, Brian Sicknick, who was attacked by the mob. He was an Iraq War veteran and a former member of the New Jersey Air National Guard.
"Our sympathies and our concerns go out to his family, and the people responsible should be held accountable," said Biden.
When he took questions, he made it clear that he considers Trump among those responsible: "This had the active encouragement of a sitting president of the United States."
Biden declined to give an opinion on whether Trump should be impeached, saying that was Congress's decision, but he said Trump should not be in office.
"He is not fit to serve. He is one of the most incompetent presidents in the history of the United States of America," said the president-elect.
Biden said Trump exceeded even his worst notions about him.
"The damage done to our reputation around the world by a president of the United States encouraging a mob — a mob. This reminded me more of tin-horn dictatorships. It just cannot be sustained. It has to be immediately, immediately investigated in depth, and people have to be held accountable."
Biden added it's a good thing Trump will not attend his inauguration.
"That's one of the few things we agree on," he said.
Vice President Mike Pence is welcome, he noted.
Biden also tore into Sen. Ted Cruz but praised Republicans Sens. Mitt Romney and Mitch McConnell. He wants to unify the country, he repeated, and it may be easier now as some Republicans are equally mortified and outraged.
The remarks came after Biden introduced key members of his economic team: Boston Mayor Marty Walsh for the Department of Labor, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo for Department of Commerce, and Isabel Guzman for the Small Business Administration.
Biden said getting aid to families and small businesses would be a top priority on his first day in office, along with tackling COVID-19 and getting the vaccine distributed.
