WASHINGTON (AP) – Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, declaring that “democracy prevails” and calling for American resilience and unity to face the historic confluence of crises in the deeply divided nation.
Biden condemned a national “uncivilized war” and took an oath Wednesday in a Capitol struck by a rebellious siege just two weeks earlier. Then he took his place in the White House Oval Office and threw himself into a pile of executive actions that began to destroy the heart of his polarizing predecessor. ‘s agenda on matters from the deadly pandemic to climate change.
At the Capitol, where the American tradition of peaceful transfers of power never seemed more fragile, the ceremony took place within a circle of security forces that summoned a war zone and was devoid of crowds due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Instead, Biden gazed out on a cold Washington morning, dotted with snow flurries, to see more than 200,000 American flags planted on the National Mall to symbolize those who couldn’t attend in person.
“The will of the people has been heard, and the will of the people has been obeyed. We have learned again that democracy is precious and democracy is fragile. At this hour, my friends, democracy has triumphed, ”Biden stated 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 on his side when Kamala Harris became the first woman to become vice president. The former United States Senator from California is also the first black and the first person of South Asian descent to be elected vice president and the tallest woman to ever serve in the United States government.
Biden never mentioned his predecessor, who defied tradition and left town prior to the ceremony, but his speech was an implicit rebuke from Donald Trump. The new president denounced “lies told for power and profit” and was blunt about the challenges ahead.
Central to this: the looming virus that has claimed more than 400,000 lives in the United States, as well as economic tensions and a national race reckoning.
“We have a lot to do in this winter of danger, and considerable opportunities. A lot to fix, a lot to fix, a lot to heal, a lot to build and a lot to gain, ”said Biden. “Few people in the history of our country have been more challenged, or have found a time more challenging or more difficult than the time we are in today.”
Biden was eager to get big early, with an ambitious first 100 days, including an effort to accelerate the distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations to anxious Americans and pass on a $ 1.9 trillion economic aid package. It included a series of executive orders on matters that do not require congressional approval – a mix of substantive and symbolic steps to relax the Trump years. His actions include re-joining the Paris climate accords and a mandate to wear masks on federal property.
“There’s no time to start like today,” said a masked Biden. in the Oval Office. Then he swore to hundreds of assistants – virtually – and said to them, “You are my capabilities.”
The absence of Biden’s predecessor from the inaugural ceremony underscored the national rift that needed to be healed.
But a twofold trio of former presidents – Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama – were on hand to witness the transfer of power. Trump awaiting his second impeachment trial, was at his Florida resort by the time the swearing-in took place.
Biden, in his third run-up to the presidency, focused his candidacy less on a specific political ideology than on fostering a broad coalition of voters around the idea that Trump posed an existential threat to American democracy. Four years after Trump’s “American Carnage” speech painted a dark portrait of national decline, Biden warned that the fabric of the country’s democracy was tearing, but could be repaired.
‘I know the forces that divide us are deep and real. But I also know that they are not new. Our history has been a constant battle between the American ideal that we are all created equal and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart, ”said Biden. “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.”
He took the oath with his hand on a two-inch thick Bible that has been in his family for 128 years. Biden came to the office with a source of empathy and determination born of personal tragedy, as well as a depth of experience forged from more than four decades in Washington. At the age of 78, he is the oldest president to be inaugurated.
Both he, Harris and their husbands walked the last short leg of the route to the White House after a shortened parade. Biden then walked into the Oval Office, a room he knew well as vice president, his first as commander in chief.
Earlier in the Capitol, Biden, like everyone in attendance, wore a face mask, except when speaking. Tens of thousands of National Guard troops were on the streets to provide security just two weeks after a violent mob of Trump supporters, incited by the Republican president, stormed the building in an attempt to prevent certification of Biden’s victory.
“Here we stand just days after a rioting mob thought they could use force to silence the will of the people,” Biden said. “To stop the work of our democracy. To drive us from this sacred ground. It didn’t happen. It will never happen. Not today, not tomorrow. Never. Never.”
The tense atmosphere was reminiscent of Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration in 1861, who was secretly transported to Washington to evade hitmen on the eve of the Civil War, or the inauguration of Franklin Roosevelt in 1945, when he chose a small, safe ceremony at the White House in the waning months of World War II.
But Washington, virtually deserted in downtown and federal areas, was silent. And peace reigned beyond the heavily fortified Capitol buildings across the country after the FBI warned of the possibility of armed demonstrations leading up to the inauguration.
The day began with a reach down the political aisle after four years of bitter partisan struggle under Trump. At Biden’s invitation, congressional leaders from both parties bowed their heads in prayer in the socially detached service a few blocks from the White House.
Biden was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts; Harris by Judge Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina member of the Supreme Court. Vice President Mike Pence, who took the place of Trump, sat nearby while Lady Gaga, golden microphone in hand, sang the national anthem accompanied by the US Marine Corps band.
When Pence, in a final act of the outgoing administration, left the Capitol, he walked through a door with badly cracked glass from the riot two weeks ago. Later, Biden, Harris, and their husbands were joined by the former presidents to lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier at the Arlington National Ceremony.
By noon, an abandoned White House came back to life in Trump’s waning days, with Biden employees settling in and new COVID-19 security measures, such as plastic shields on desks, in place.
In the evening, instead of the traditional balls welcoming a new president to Washington, Biden and Harris appeared separately at the Lincoln Memorial to participate in a televised concert that also marked the return of A-list celebrities to the court. the White House after they largely eschewed Trump. Among those in the line-up: Bruce Springsteen, Justin Timberlake and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
The Bidens ended their evening by watching fireworks from a balcony in the White House.
This was not an inauguration for the crowds. But Americans in the capital nevertheless brought hope to the moment.
“I feel so hopeful, so grateful,” said Karen Jennings Crooms, a Washington DC resident who and her husband hoped to catch a glimpse of the presidential motorcade on Pennsylvania Avenue. “It makes us sad to be here, but we hope that democracy will eventually win. 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’ll watch. I will listen and I will tell 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 one tradition, leaving a personal note for Biden in the Oval Office. Biden only told reporters it was “a very generous letter.”
Trump hinted at a political return in his farewell video, saying, “We will come back in some form.” No doubt he will follow Biden’s early days in office.
Trump’s second impeachment trial could begin as early as this week. That will test the ability of the Senate, which is now coming under democratic control, to balance impeachment proceedings with confirmation hearings and votes on Biden’s cabinet choices.
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Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Darlene Superville in Washington and Michelle L. Price in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
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