Lehigh University Revokes Trump's Honorary Degree

BETHLETHEM, PA — Lehigh University has rescinded and revoked an honorary degree granted to President Trump in 1988.

The Executive Committee of the Lehigh University Board of Trustees, in a special session Thursday, voted to take the action. The full Board of Trustees affirmed the decision Friday.

The move comes two days after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in a violent effort to block Joe Biden from being certified as the next president.

Trump, who had spoken to the demonstrators during a "Stop the Steal" rally earlier in the day, has been roundly criticized for inciting the destruction and doing nothing to stop the descent into chaos once it started.

On Thursday, Trump for the first time acknowledged his defeat in the Nov. 3 election. Through a White House aide, Trump announced on Twitter that Americans can expect an "orderly transition" on Jan. 20.

"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.

Fourteen Pennsylvanians were arrested in the chaos.

Wednesday's riot against the Capitol and the president's response to it proved to be the final straws for a number of members of the Trump administration.

On Thursday, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao became the first member of Trump's Cabinet to resign following the prior day's events, CNN reported. In a statement to the agency she led, Chao wrote that she was "deeply troubled" by the events at the Capitol building.

She was followed Thursday evening by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who submitted her resignation effective Friday, according to The New York Times and others.

DeVos cited the "violent protesters" whose "behavior was unconscionable" but added, "There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation, and it is the inflection point for me."

Two of first lady Melania Trump's top aides resigned Wednesday night, according to CNN. Stephanie Grisham, a longtime Trump family loyalist who served as White House press secretary and most recently as the first lady's chief of staff; and Anna Cristina Niceta, the White House social secretary, separately announced their resignations.

Deputy White House press secretary Sarah Matthews also announced her resignation, saying she was honored to serve the Trump administration but "deeply disturbed" by the storming of the Capitol.