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WASHINGTON – Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, declaring that “democracy has prevailed” and calling for American resistance and unity to confront the historic confluence of crisis in this deeply divided nation.
Denouncing a national “uncivil war”, Biden was sworn in at a US Capitol that had been hit by an insurrectionary siege two weeks earlier. Then, taking his place in the White House Oval Office, he plunged into a pile of executive actions that began to undo the heart of his predecessor’s polarized agenda on matters ranging from the deadly pandemic to climate change.
On Capitol Hill, with the American tradition of peaceful transfers of power that never seemed more fragile, the ceremony unfolded within a circle of security forces evoking a war zone and devoid of crowds due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Instead, Biden looked out onto a cold, snow-streaked Washington morning to see more than 200,000 American flags planted on the National Mall to symbolize those who were unable to attend in person.
“The will of the people has been listened to and the will of the people has been heeded. We have learned again that democracy is precious and democracy is fragile. At this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed, “declared Biden in his speech. This is America’s day. This is the day of democracy. A day of history and hope, of renewal and determination ”.
History was made by her side, as Kamala Harris became the first woman to serve as vice president. The former US Senator from California is also the first black person and the first person of South Asian descent elected to the vice presidency and the highest-ranking woman to serve in the United States government.
Biden never mentioned his predecessor, who defied tradition and left town before the ceremony, but his speech was an implicit reprimand of Donald Trump. The new president denounced “lies told by power and profit” and was forthright about the challenges that lie ahead.
Chief among them: the emerging virus that has claimed more than 400,000 lives in the United States, as well as economic tensions and a national reckoning over race.
“We have a lot to do in this winter of danger and significant possibility. Much to repair, much to restore, much to heal, much to build and much to gain, ”said Biden. “Few people in our nation’s history have faced more challenges or encountered a more challenging or difficult time than where we are now.”
Biden was eager to go big early on, with an ambitious first 100 days that included a push to accelerate the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to anxious Americans and pass a $ 1.9 billion financial aid package. It included a series of executive orders on matters that do not require congressional approval, a combination of substantive and symbolic steps to relax the Trump years. His actions included re-entry into the Paris Climate Accords and a mandate to wear masks on federal property.
“There is no time to start like today,” said a masked Biden. in the Oval Office. Then he swore to hundreds of assistants, virtually, saying, “You are my possibilities.”
The absence of Biden’s predecessor at the opening ceremony underscored the national rift that needed to be healed.
But a bipartisan trio of former presidents – Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama – were there to witness the transfer of power. Trump, awaiting his second impeachment trial, was at his Florida resort when the swearing-in took place.
Biden, in his third run for president, bet his candidacy less on a distinctive political ideology than on galvanizing a broad coalition of voters around the notion that Trump posed an existential threat to American democracy. Four years after Trump’s speech on the “American slaughter” painted a dark portrait of national decadence, Biden warned that the fabric of the nation’s democracy was tearing but could be repaired.
“I know that the forces that divide us are deep and real. But I also know that they are not new. Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal and the harsh and ugly reality that racism, Nativism, fear and demonization have long torn us apart, “Biden said.” This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and unity is the way forward and we must face this moment as the United States of America. “
Swearing the oath with his hand on a five-inch-thick Bible that has been in his family for 128 years, Biden came to office with a source of empathy and resolve born of personal tragedy, as well as a deep experience forged from more than four decades in Washington. At 78, he is the oldest sitting president.
Both he and Harris and their spouses made the last part of the route to the White House after an abbreviated parade. Then Biden walked into the Oval Office, a room he knew well as a vice president, for the first time as commander-in-chief.
On Capitol Hill before, Biden, like everyone else, wore a mask except when speaking. Tens of thousands of National Guard soldiers were on the streets to provide security precisely two weeks after a violent mob of Trump supporters, incited by the Republican president, stormed the building in an attempt to avoid certification of victory. of Biden.
“Here we are, a few days after an unbridled mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people,” Biden said. “To stop the work of our democracy. To expel us from this sacred ground. It didn’t happen. It will never happen. Not today, not tomorrow. Not ever. Never.”
The tense atmosphere was reminiscent of the 1861 inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, who was secretly transported to Washington to avoid assassins on the eve of the Civil War, or the inauguration of Franklin Roosevelt in 1945, when he opted for a small and safe ceremony. in the White House in the closing months of World War II.
But Washington, almost deserted in the center and in its federal areas, was calm. And calm also prevailed outside heavily fortified state Capitol buildings across the country after the FBI warned of the possibility of armed demonstrations ahead of the inauguration.
The day began with a reach through the political aisle after four years of bitter partisan battles under Trump. At Biden’s invitation, Congressional leaders from both parties bowed their heads in prayer at the socially distanced service a few blocks from the White House.
Biden was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts; Harris by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina member of the Supreme Court. Vice President Mike Pence, replacing Trump, sat nearby as Lady Gaga, holding a gold microphone, sang the National Anthem accompanied by the US Marine Corps band.
When Pence, in a last act of the outgoing administration, left the Capitol, he walked through a door shattered by the riots two weeks ago. Later, the former presidents joined Biden, Harris, and their spouses in laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arlington National Ceremony.
In the afternoon, a desolate White House in Trump’s final days came to life, with Biden’s staff settling in and new COVID-19 security measures, like plastic shields on desks, in place.
In the evening, instead of the traditional dances welcoming a new president to Washington, Biden and Harris appeared separately at the Lincoln Memorial for a televised concert that also marked the return of A-list celebrities to the orbit of the White House after they largely avoided Trump. Among those in the lineup: Bruce Springsteen, Justin Timberlake and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
This was not an opening for the crowds. But the Americans in the capital city nonetheless carried their hopes to the moment.
“I am so hopeful, so grateful,” said Karen Jennings Crooms, a DC resident who was hoping to catch a glimpse of the presidential motorcade on Pennsylvania Avenue with her husband. “We are saddened that this is where we are, but we are hopeful that democracy will win in the end. That’s what I’m focusing on. “
Trump was the first president in more than a century to skip the inauguration of his successor. After a brief farewell celebration at nearby Joint Base Andrews, he boarded Air Force One for the last time as president.
“I will always fight for you. I will be watching. I will be listening and telling you that the future of this country has never been better,” Trump said. He wished the incoming administration well, but never mentioned Biden’s name.
Trump adhered to a tradition and left a personal note for Biden in the Oval Office. Biden would only tell reporters that it was “a very generous letter.”
Trump, in his parting video remarks, hinted at a political comeback and said “we’ll be back in some form.” It will undoubtedly follow Biden’s early days in office.
Trump’s second impeachment trial could begin this week. That will test the ability of the Senate, which is now under Democratic control, to balance impeachment proceedings with confirmation hearings and votes on Biden’s cabinet elections. (AP)
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