“While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it’s only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again,” Trump added, hinting at a potential 2024 run.

The statement came as staff resign and as congressional allies have abandoned him in the aftermath of throngs of his supporters laying siege to the Capitol on Wednesday. He had repeated his pledge that he would never concede at a rally earlier in the day.

Authorities said four people died during the violence. One woman was shot by an officer outside the House chamber, and three others died in “medical emergencies” during the occupation of the building, police said.

“These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long,” Trump wrote in a message that was later deleted by Twitter. He added, “Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!”

In an earlier video he had praised the protesters as “special” people and said he understood their pain. Twitter later locked his account for the first time as it demanded he remove the tweets and threatened “permanent suspension.”

For much of Wednesday afternoon, the outgoing president reportedly watched the insurrection on television from his private dining room off the Oval Office.

But aside from sparing appeals for calm issued at the insistence of his staff, he was largely disengaged as the nation’s capital descended into unprecedented scenes of chaos as a mob of thousands tried to halt the peaceful transition of power.

03:15

World shocked by assault on the US Capitol by radical pro-Trump supporters in Washington

World shocked by assault on the US Capitol by radical pro-Trump supporters in Washington

The violence, coupled with the president’s tepid response, alarmed many in the White House and appeared to push many Republicans to the breaking point after years of allegiance to Trump.

After four years with no shortage of fraught moments, Wednesday’s events quickly emerged as the nadir of morale in the Trump White House, as aides looked on in horror at the chaos at the Capitol fomented by the president.

In a sign of growing frustration, a number of White House aides were discussing a potential mass resignation, according to people familiar with the conversation, although some harboured concerns about what Trump might do in his final two weeks in office if they were not there to serve as bulwarks when so few remain.

Stephanie Grisham, the first lady’s chief of staff and a former White House press secretary, submitted her resignation on Wednesday, but declined to say what had prompted her move.

Deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger, White House social secretary Rickie Niceta and deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews also resigned, according to officials.

06:35

US Congress certifies results of presidential election after Trump supporters storm the Capitol

US Congress certifies results of presidential election after Trump supporters storm the Capitol

More departures were expected in the coming days, officials said. But other aides indicated they were staying to help smooth the transition to Biden’s administration.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie told ABC late Wednesday that “responsible members of the Cabinet” should be thinking about fulfilling their oath of office, adding that Trump had “violated his oath and betrayed the American people”.

Biden’s election victory certified after chaos at US Capitol leaves four dead

Indeed, it was Pence, not Trump, who spoke with the acting defence secretary to discuss mobilising the National Guard on Wednesday afternoon.

Trump only reluctantly issued the tweets and taped a video encouraging an end to the violence. The posts came at the insistence of staff and amid mounting criticism from Republican lawmakers urging him to condemn the violence being perpetrated in his name, according to the official.

And even as authorities struggled to take control of Capitol Hill after protesters overwhelmed police, Trump continued to level baseless allegations of mass voter fraud and praised his loyalists as “very special”.

“I know your pain. I know your hurt. But you have to go home now,” he said in a video posted more than 90 minutes after lawmakers were evacuated from the House and Senate chambers. “We can’t play into the hands of these people. We have to have peace. So go home. We love you. You’re very special.”

In a sign of the extraordinary events that had unfolded over the previous 24 hours, Trump’s statement acknowledging that he would leave office on January 20 could not be posted on the president’s Twitter or Facebook feeds because both accounts have been suspended by the companies.

Instead, it was released via the Twitter account of Trump’s social media director, Dan Scavino, who frequently tweets on his behalf.

Hours earlier, Trump had appeared at a massive rally near the White House, where he continued to urge supporters to fight the election results and encouraged them to march to the Capitol in remarks that were peppered with incendiary language and rife with violent undertones.

At one point, he even suggested he might join them – a prospect that was discussed by the White House but eventually abandoned.

Another leader who has previously voiced support of Trump, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, called the scenes “very distressing” and said he was looking forward to a peaceful transfer of power.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a radio interview that his government was “concerned”. “We’re following the situation minute by minute as it unfolds,” he said.

While some European lawmakers issued statements backing US institutions and its democracy to overcome the turmoil, others were more condemning of the president and his supporters.

Joe Biden calls protesters ‘extremists’ and Capitol attack an ‘insurrection’

“The enemies of democracy will rejoice at these unbelievable images out of Washington,” said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. “Inflammatory words reap violent deeds”.

“You know I am connected to Trump, you know my response,” he said, adding that there “have been many reports of fraud” in the US election. Bolsonaro also said he believed the 2018 Brazilian election – which he won in a run-off – was riddled with fraud. “There was fraud during mine. I should have won in the first round,” he said.

The woman who died in Wednesday’s violence was identified in US media as Ashli Babbitt, a backer of the president from San Diego, California who had served in the United States Air Force.

She identified herself as an veteran on her Twitter account and noted her love for the US. She had recently retweeted messages in support of Trump and from those coming to Washington for Wednesday’s rally.

“Nothing will stop us … they can try and try and try but the storm is here and it is descending upon DC in less than 24 hours … dark to light!”, she wrote in a tweet on Tuesday.

Additional reporting by Reuters, Bloomberg, Agence France-Presse