(CNN)The final full week of Donald Trump's presidency ended with a nation in disarray -- fearful about the threats surrounding Inauguration Day in a capital city that has become a fortress; unsettled by new details of the harm that rioters could have inflicted on lawmakers during last week's insurrection; and angry at the revelation that the administration's pledge to release a reserve of Covid-19 vaccine doses was hollow.
In the midst of those grave security threats and the frustrating news that there is no such vaccine reserve, the President was still conspicuously missing in action at the White House Friday. It was Vice President Mike Pence who was seen doing the work normally required of a commander-in-chief -- from visiting the National Guard troops guarding the Capitol to making the long-delayed phone call to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to offer assistance in the presidential transition.