Scott Morrison hopes unity will follow Joe Biden’s inauguration after a “terrible few months” for the US.
Tensions are high in Washington DC ahead of the presidential inauguration on Wednesday local time, after pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol building in an attempt to block the confirmation of Mr Biden’s election win on January 6.
The National Guard has deployed 25,000 troops to the city in an bid to prevent the event being marred by further violence.
Security has also been beefed-up at state Capitol buildings across the US amid fears they will be targeted on Inauguration Day.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his government would do “everything we can” to support America uniting after the acrimonious election.
“America is going through a very terrible time at the moment, but (I’m) looking forward to the country uniting and moving on from these terrible last few months, and particularly these last few weeks,” he told 2GB Radio.
“America is an amazing country. They’ll bounce back and I believe they’ll come together again.”
More than 100 arrests have been made in connection to the riot, which left five people dead and briefly prevented politicians from rubberstamping the results of the election.
Outgoing President Donald Trump has been accused of inciting the insurrection by urging his supporters to march on the Capitol.
He also continued to claim, without evidence, that widespread voter fraud rigged the November election.
Mr Morrison has joined a number of allies in recognising Mr Biden’s victory, confirming he had a “very good” conversation with the president-elect shortly after election day.
Although he stopped short of directly criticising Mr Trump’s conduct, the prime minister said it was “very disappointing that things were allowed to get to that stage”.
“The things that were said that encouraged others to come to the Capitol and engage in that way were incredibly disappointing, and the outcomes were terrible,” he said.
“But I think what’s more important now is not for me to be providing lectures to anybody, that’s not my job.
“It’s for the American people now to come together behind their elected president, to come together and go forward in the way that we would hope they would, as a close friend and a very strong ally.”
