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Washington, January 20: Joe Biden held the hand of his wife Jill as they walked down the driveway to their new home on Wednesday, which was the only normal thing on the day he became president of the United States.
Washington was under an unprecedented security lockdown, encouraging crowds absent due to the out-of-control Covid outbreak in the United States and Donald Trump had only left the White House hours earlier.
Biden’s black armored limousine had deposited him at the end of his new street, Pennsylvania Avenue, after his swearing-in and a visit to Arlington National Cemetery to pay respects to the war-killed American military.
But he blew up the surreality of the moment with a joke as he walked to the White House with Jill, closely followed by Vice President Kamala Harris and her family.
“It feels like I’m going home,” the president told an NBC News reporter, who was among dozens of reporters recording every step from a rostrum.
The sound of military marching bands still hung in the air as a group of Secret Service agents in long coats scanned the scene.
Until shortly before their arrival, red dump trucks with “God Bless America” stamped on the sides served as safety barriers to Pennsylvania Avenue.
He betrayed the overwhelming security machinery for Biden’s extraordinary day, including miles of metal barriers, thousands of masked security forces, and a dystopian-looking Washington who would normally be prepared to party on opening day.
The shutdown meant the contingent of roughly 25,000 National Guard soldiers outnumbered revelers.
“This looks like the entrance to a military base … during the war,” said Joe Brunner, 42, of New York City, as he stood in front of a checkpoint guarded by armed troops and military vehicles in downtown Washington.
“The environment is very strange, it is very un-American,” said Jason Sheffield, 36, adding that the security zone and heavy police presence “are unethical for freedom” and “are very scary.”
For most Americans, the inauguration was seen on social media and television.
The streets were nearly empty and many businesses in central Washington were boarded up, some due to the pandemic and others due to recent violent protests.
In recent years, tens of thousands of people have been close enough to the inauguration ceremony to see the president take the oath in the grand Capitol building that houses Congress.
The crowd has been greatly reduced due to concerns about the virus contagion: 200,000 passes would normally be distributed among legislators to hand out to their constituents.
This year it was one ticket for each of the 535 members of Congress and one guest each.
On top of that, Donald Trump supporters attacked the Capitol building two weeks ago to try to undo Biden’s election victory, prompting additional security.
The number of National Guard troops, adding to thousands of police officers, is about three times greater than the roughly 8,000 available for Trump’s inauguration.
Those troops, outside of a pandemic year, would be protecting the crowds on the Capitol grounds and many thousands more on the roughly 700-acre (280-hectare) National Mall.
The 2009 inauguration of Barack Obama, the first black president of the United States, drew some 450,000 spectators to the Mall.
However, some people defied the warnings and walked the streets without cars to see what they could of the handover of US power.
“I think today is a very happy day,” said Sheila Callahan, a resident of central Washington.
“As soon as Trump’s helicopter took off from the White House, people (in his neighborhood) were on the roof cheering.” AFP
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