(Headline USA) Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States on Wednesday, declaring that “democracy has prevailed.”
He swore the oath of office to take the helm of a deeply divided nation and inheriting a confluence of crises arguably greater than any faced by his predecessors.
Biden’s inauguration came at a time of national tumult and uncertainty. On a chilly Washington day dotted with snow flurries, a bipartisan trio of ex-presidents along with the elite of nation’s government gathered, ensuring the quadrennial ceremony persevered, even though it was encircled by security forces evocative of a war zone and devoid of crowds because of a military lockdown on the Capitol city.
“The will of the people has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded. We’ve learned again that democracy is precious and democracy is fragile. At this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed,” Biden said. “This is America’s day. This is democracy’s day. A day in history and hope, of renewal and resolve.”
And then he pivoted to challenges ahead, acknowledging the surging coronavirus. Biden looked out over a capital city dotted with empty storefronts that attest to the pandemic’s deep economic toll and where summer riots were allowed to run rampant under Democrat city leadership.
And he was not applauded by his predecessor.
Flouting tradition, Donald Trump departed Washington on Wednesday morning ahead of the inauguration rather than accompany his successor to the Capitol. Though three other former presidents — Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama — gathered to watch the ceremonial transfer of power, Trump instead flew to Florida.
Biden, in his third run for the presidency, staked his limping, unstable candidacy less on any distinctive political ideology than on galvanizing voters around the notion that Trump posed an existential threat to American democracy. On his first day, Biden will take a series of executive actions — on the pandemic, climate, immigration and more — to undo the heart of Trump’s agenda at a moment with the bonds of the republic strained.
At age 78, Biden was the oldest president inaugurated.
More history was made at his side, as Kamala Harris became the first woman to be vice president and will become the highest-ranking woman ever to serve in government.
Biden was administered the oath by Chief Justice John Roberts; Harris will be sworn in by Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Vice President Mike Pence, standing in for Trump, was sitting nearby as Lady Gaga, holding a gold microphone, sang the National Anthem accompanied by the U.S. Marine Corps band.
Later, Biden will join the end of a slimmed-down inaugural parade as he moves into the White House, reminiscent of his uninspiring presidential campaign that was devoid of enthusiasm.
In the evening, in lieu of the traditional glitzy balls that welcome a new president to Washington, Biden will take part in a televised concert that also marks the return of A-list celebrities to the White House orbit after they largely eschewed Trump. Among those in the lineup: Bruce Springsteen, Justin Timberlake and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Adapted from reporting by Associated Press.
