President Biden acknowledged the difficult task before him as he was sworn in as 46th president of the United States during an unprecedented public health and economic crisis.
In an inaugural that bucked many traditions, Biden became president at the constitutionally-stipulated time of noon on Wednesday. He takes office after a White House primary campaign defined by the Democratic Party’s ascendant Left, a general election marred by a once-in-a-century pandemic, and a transition hindered by a recalcitrant incumbent, now former President Donald Trump.
“Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause — the cause of democracy,” Biden said on the U.S. Capitol’s west front.
He added, “We’ve learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.”
After four turbulent years of the Trump administration, Biden, 78, is the oldest president to be sworn into office and the second Catholic after John F. Kennedy in 1961 following three White House bids. On Wednesday, he took his oath on a Bible that’s been in his family since 1893. It was held by his second wife, first lady Jill Biden. The pair wore American designers to keep out the cold and occasional snow flurry on a frigid Washington, D.C., day.
Biden used the hefty Bible when he became the country’s sixth youngest senator in 1972 at the age of 30 and for both of former President Barack Obama’s inaugurations, where he became his vice president. He mentioned some of his 50-odd years in public life during his inaugural address. But his remarks were “built around the theme of unity” and were future-focused, asking his fellow citizens to help him in his mission.
“To all those who did not support us, let me say this: Hear me out as we move forward. Take a measure of me and my heart. If we still disagree, so be it. That’s democracy,” Biden said.
But, he continued, “We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts.”
Biden now leads a country that this week surpassed 400,000 reported COVID-19 deaths. The economy’s also tanked. December retail numbers were soft, and there was an uptick in January jobless claims.
Biden’s response to the inextricably-linked problems will be complicated by the hyperpartisanship that’s gripped the country since his former boss Obama.
That discord was evident during the violent Jan. 6 clash at the Capitol when Trump supporters even scaled some of Biden’s inauguration setup to protest the 2020 election results. Five were killed during the unrest, including U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick.
Biden never named Trump, but he weaved references of him into his speech.
“We must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured,” he said at one point.
Vice President Kamala Harris will be Biden’s chief partner as he strives to unite the country. More even-tempered and polished than her boss, Harris, 56, on Wednesday became the first woman and first minority woman to become a presidential understudy. She donned purple for the occasion in a nod to Shirley Chisholm.
Biden has promised Harris she’ll be “the last one in the room,” a request he made of Obama. Harris is poised to be instrumental in Biden’s team, teeing herself up as his successor.
Biden will sign a pile of executive orders and action a slew of other presidential business Wednesday night. But Wednesday afternoon’s “America United” platform ceremony was all pleasure. Lady Gaga, who worked with Biden on initiatives countering the rise in reported college campus sexual assaults, sang the national anthem into a golden microphone. Country music legend Garth Brooks and Jennifer Lopez also performed.
While Trump wasn’t present, former Vice President Mike Pence was, along with Electoral College challenger Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz.
Also missing was the mass of people who traditionally pour onto the National Mall to hear a president’s maiden address. Because of the pandemic and Jan. 6-like security risks, a sea of flags were planted in the ground instead, forming different images inside the federal park cordoned off by a 7-foot unscalable fence.
D.C. may be locked down and divided into green and red zones by a Secret Service-led operation involving up to 25,000 rifle-wielding National Guard members. But residents of the liberal safe haven are still celebrating the political changing of the guard. Le Diplomate, a trendy French restaurant on well-heeled 14th Street, is selling “46” boules. Republic Restorative Distillery in the up-and-coming Ivy City neighborhood, meanwhile, is offering “Madam” whiskey.
After Biden’s speech, he’s expected to take part in a military pass in review on the Capitol’s east front. Then he and former Presidents Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton will lay wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Biden organized an illuminated COVID-19 victim tribute at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on his inaugural’s eve.
A presidential escort will accompany Biden between 15th Street and the White House as a virtual parade is simultaneously streamed online. And then, in lieu of a kaleidoscope of balls, Biden and Harris will speak during a prime-time “Celebrating America” TV program hosted by actor Tom Hanks.
