WASHINGTON-
Joe Biden
is to become the 46th President of the United States and take responsibility for a nation that has been hit by a pandemic and shaken by the recent storm on the US Capitol, where he plans to take his oath of office.
The inauguration ceremony will be on Wednesday afternoon do not have the usual pomp and circumstance due to health and safety concerns around the day. There won’t be huge crowds, or a personal parade, or opening balls.
Mr Biden’s aides have said he will use the stripped-down affair to try to fulfill his promise to heal the nation. During his inaugural address, the president-elect is expected to take up his campaign message of unity and discuss his plans to fight the coronavirus and boost the economy.
« This is possibly the most unusual inauguration in American history, » Biden said last week . « Maybe not the most consistent, but the most unusual. »
Lord.
Trump card,
Those who chose not to attend the inauguration of their successor left the White House shortly after 8 a.m. en route to Joint Base Andrews, where they attended a brief farewell ceremony before flying to their private club in Florida. After banning him from social media platforms like Twitter, he was only muted in his final days in office, but apologized to allies and celebrities a few hours before he left.
Mr. Trump, wearing a coat and a red tie, left the building with the First Lady through the south portico
Melania Trump.
He spoke briefly to reporters and said it was the « honor of a lifetime ».
Before family and friends gathered in Andrews, Mr. Trump said it had been « an incredible four years. » He listed some of his political achievements, offered his respect to the people who had suffered from the pandemic, and said it was his « greatest honor and privilege to have been your president ».
« I wish the new administration the best of luck and success, » he said, without naming Mr Biden before adding, « We will be back in some form. »
Mr. Trump is the first President to skip his successor’s inauguration since becoming President
Andrew Johnson
refused to attend the swearing-in ceremony
Ulysses Grant
After losing the presidential race, Mr Trump refused to accept the results for months, insisting he fell victim to fraud despite his former attorney general
William Barr,
and other federal law enforcement officers said there was no evidence of fraud that could alter the election results.
When Mr. Trump left Washington, Mr. Biden and his wife were there
Jill Biden
traveled to the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, where they were due to attend Mass in Washington on Wednesday with four congressional leaders: the Speaker of the House of Representatives
Nancy Pelosi,
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, and the House Minority Leader
Kevin McCarthy.
Under heavy security, Mr. Biden and the Vice-President-Elect have
Kamala Harris
will be sworn in on the west side of the Capitol during an event that will also take place
Lady Gaga
Singing the national anthem and other musical performances.
When sworn in by the Supreme Court
Sonia Sotomayor,
Ms. Harris will make history as the first female vice president. As the first black woman and the first of Indian descent to be nominated on a major party ticket, she will be the highest-ranking woman ever to succeed the president.
The inauguration will also be a shift to democratic control in Washington mean, with the party holding the White House and the narrow majorities in the House and Senate. It will end President Trump’s administration a week after the House indicted him on charges of inciting the crowd of supporters who overran the Capitol on Jan. 6. Mr Trump has denied wrongdoing, calling the effort a continuation of what he has called a Democratic witch hunt.
Washington was nervous in the days leading up to the inauguration. Participants who attended a housewarming rehearsal on the Western Front of the Capitol on Monday were evacuated by security officials after a fire at a nearby location. Security has also been increased in the country’s state capitals.
Amid mounting tensions, plans for the inauguration were aimed at calming feelings. Mr. Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, appeared Monday at a Philadelphia food bank as part of National Day of Service for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. On Tuesday evening, Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris spoke at a Lincoln Memorial ceremony in honor of those who lost their lives to Covid-19.
After he is sworn in, Mr. Biden, Ms. Harris and their spouses will become Arlington National Cemetery visit to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. You will be accompanied by former US presidents
Bill Clinton,
George W. Bush
and
Barack Obama.
Mr Biden plans to take a number of executive actions on his first day, including extending interest and principal payments on federal student loans through September, maintaining eviction and foreclosure restrictions, and wearing face masks Federal property and for interstate travel on airlines, trains and transit systems.
Mr Biden will also reverse some of Mr Trump’s steps, such as re-joining the Paris Climate Agreement and ending travel bans on 13 Muslim-majority Muslim and African nations. The new president will open a 10-day period during which he will sign dozen of mandates to keep his agenda dynamic.
Ron Klain,
Mr Biden’s new chief of staff said the new president would deliver « a message of change » that would mark the « end of the Trump era and the beginning of a new era » and that would focus on addressing the crises facing them Nation is facing.
Mr. Klain said Mr. Biden plans to sign the Executive Orders from the Oval Office in the late afternoon and then speak briefly to reporters about his first actions as President.
During his four year term As President, Mr. Trump signed a major tax cut, installed conservative federal judges, including three Supreme Court judges, and brokered deals between Israel and some Gulf states to normalize diplomatic relations. He failed to deliver on some key election promises such as a health care overhaul, unsettled some world leaders by withdrawing from international agreements, and was widely criticized for his management of the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Trump is the only one President in US history who has been indicted twice – once on charges of promoting the Capitol uprising and once on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress after urging the Ukrainian President to investigate Mr Biden in 2019.
In a farewell video, Mr. Trump said, « This week we are inaugurating a new administration and praying for its success to keep America safe and prosperous. »
After the attack on the Capitol, security was in place tightened in connection with the inauguration, with at least 20,000 National Guard troops in Washin gton, a massive perimeter around the Capitol, and requests from local officials that the public stay away. While around 200,000 people typically attend the Capitol ceremonies, only a few thousand are expected this year.
Mr Biden takes office when the coronavirus pandemic has ravaged the country. In the US, more than 400,000 deaths and jobless claims recently rose to their highest level since last March’s pandemic. He has proposed a $ 1.9 trillion plan to help Americans weather the economic shock of the pandemic and pump more money into testing and vaccine distribution. Advisors say he will soon propose a second package that will focus on economic recovery.
At 78, Mr. Biden will be the oldest privy president. The former Vice President, who served under Obama for eight years, relied heavily on longtime aides and political allies in his selection for posts in the White House and cabinet.
Mr. Biden, who also has decades of Senate experience and previously twice running for president unsuccessfully, campaigned for the promise to be a consensus-builder. Mr Biden is expected to reach out to Republicans and Democrats to advance his agenda, although he is likely to face opposition from Republicans and pressure from his party’s liberal wing.
On Tuesday, Mr Biden spoke at a farewell ceremony in Delaware, attended by family and friends, referring to Irish writer James Joyce and one of his statements about his affection for Dublin.
What steps can President Biden take to unite his own party and work with Republicans ? Join the following conversation.
Ref: https://www.wsj.com
