As the threat of a second impeachment looms, US President Donald Trump publicly acknowledged on Thursday that a new administration will be sworn in on January 20th, the closest he's come to a formal concession.

We have just been through an intense election and emotions air high.

But now tempers must be cooled and calm restored.

The president's address comes a day after hundreds of his supporters stormed the U.

S.

Capitol Justice Congress was certifying President elect Joe Biden's victory in the Twitter video released Thursday, his first post since his account was suspended for 12 hours.

Trump condemned Wednesday's attack and said his focus would now be ensuring a smooth transition of power.

The demonstrators who infiltrated the capital have defiled the seat of American democracy.

The statement was a stark reversal for the president, who has been falsely claiming a fraudulent and stolen election for months.

Despite no evidence and in Thursday's video, Trump continued defending his efforts to challenge the election in court.

My only goal was to ensure the integrity of the vote in so doing, I was fighting to defend American democracy.

But several Democratic leaders and a handful of Republicans have now joined the call for Trump's removal in the wake of Wednesday's violence.

The Wall Street Journal, seen as a leading voice of the Republican establishment, released an editorial on Thursday evening calling on Trump to resign.