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.