[ad_1]
WASHINGTON, DC: Democrat Joe Biden was sworn in on Wednesday (January 20) as the 46th President of the United States.
Biden, 78, was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts shortly before noon (1 a.m. Thursday Singapore time) in front of the Capitol, which was the target of a deadly attack by pro-Trump protesters exactly two weeks ago.
Kamala Harris, 56, was sworn in as the first female vice president of the United States.
Vice President Kamala Harris fists high with President-elect Joe Biden after he was sworn in during the inauguration, Wednesday, January 20, 2021, at the United States Capitol in Washington. (Jonathan Ernst / Pool Photo via AP)
Among those attending the ceremony were former Presidents Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton.
Mike Pence was also present, after skipping a Trump dismissal ceremony at nearby Joint Base Andrews earlier that day.
Former United States President Bill Clinton arrives with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton prior to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States on the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, DC on January 20, 2021. (Photo: AFP / POOL / Win McNamee)
Donald Trump was not present to witness the ceremony, the first time in more than 150 years that a sitting president has rejected the tradition of attending the inauguration of his successor. He had left the White House for the last time as president on Wednesday, three hours before Biden’s inauguration.
Doug Emhoff, US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, incoming US First Lady Jill Biden, and US President-elect Joe Biden arrive at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on the 20th. January 2021 (Photo: AFP / ANGELA WEISS)
The Western Front of the US Capitol is set for the inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden on January 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Rob Carr / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / via AFP)
Biden’s aides said Wednesday that he plans to start his new administration with orders to restore the United States to the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organization.
According to his aides, Biden will sign 17 orders and actions just hours after being sworn in as American leader to break with Donald Trump’s policies and establish new paths on immigration, the environment, the fight against COVID-19 and the economy.
READ: Biden Plans Immediate Orders on Immigration, COVID-19, Environment
READ: Biden’s team says US will not lift COVID-19 travel bans, despite Trump statement
With the pandemic on the rise, the general public was unable to attend the inauguration, leading to the unprecedented view of an empty National Mall on opening day.
United States National Guard troops patrol the vicinity of the United States Capitol hours before the inauguration of the president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden, in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2021 (Photo: ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP).
READ: In farewell speech, Trump urges to pray for the next administration without mentioning Biden
LEE: Trump’s legacy: major policy changes that are often lost amid the din and scandal
Trump has refused to offer a full concession to Biden, who won the Nov. 3 election with 306 Electoral College votes to Trump’s 232.
Trump also has to personally congratulate Biden, who first ran for president in 1987, on his victory, and the 11-hour message followed the months he spent persuading his Republican supporters that the Democrat cheated on his road to electoral victory.
In one of his last acts before leaving the White House, Trump granted dozens of pardons to people convicted of crimes or facing charges, including several key allies.
