|
Biden Takes Helm, Appeals for Unity 01/21 06:07
Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, declaring
that "democracy has prevailed" and summoning American resilience and unity to
confront the deeply divided nation's historic confluence of crises.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the
United States, declaring that "democracy has prevailed" and summoning American
resilience and unity to confront the deeply divided nation's historic
confluence of crises.
Denouncing a national "uncivil war," Biden took the oath Wednesday at a U.S.
Capitol that had been battered by an insurrectionist siege just two weeks
earlier. Then, taking his place in the White House Oval Office, he plunged into
a stack of executive actions that began to undo the heart of his polarizing
predecessor 's agenda on matters from the deadly pandemic to climate change.
At the Capitol, with America's tradition of peaceful transfers of power
never appearing more fragile, the ceremony unfolded within a circle of security
forces evocative of a war zone and devoid of crowds because of the coronavirus
pandemic.
Instead, Biden gazed out on a cold Washington morning dotted with snow
flurries to see over 200,000 American flags planted on the National Mall to
symbolize those who could not attend in person.
"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 declared in
his speech. "This is America's day. This is democracy's day. A day of history
and hope, of renewal and resolve."
History was made at his side, as Kamala Harris became the first woman to be
vice president. The former U.S. senator from California is also the first Black
person and the first person of South Asian descent elected to the vice
presidency and the highest-ranking woman ever to serve in the U.S. government.
Biden never mentioned his predecessor, who defied tradition and left town
ahead of the ceremony, but his speech was an implicit rebuke of Donald Trump.
The new president denounced "lies told for power and for profit" and was blunt
about the challenges ahead.
Central among them: the surging virus that has claimed more than 400,000
lives in the United States, as well as economic strains and a national
reckoning over race.
"We have much to do in this winter of peril, and significant possibilities.
Much to repair, much to restore, much to heal, much to build and much to gain,"
Biden said. "Few people in our nation's history have been more challenged, or
found a time more challenging or difficult than the time we're in now."
Biden was eager to go big early, with an ambitious first 100 days including
a push to speed up the distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations to anxious
Americans and pass a $1.9 trillion economic relief package. It included a blitz
of executive orders on matters that don't require congressional approval --- a
mix of substantive and symbolic steps to unwind the Trump years. His actions
included re-entry into the Paris Climate Accords and a mandate for wearing
masks on federal property.
"There's no time to start like today," a masked Biden said. in the Oval
Office. Then he swore in hundreds of aides --- virtually --- telling them,
"You're my possibilities."
The absence of Biden's predecessor from the inaugural ceremony underscored
the national rift to be healed.
But a bipartisan trio of former presidents --- Bill Clinton, George W. Bush
and Barack Obama --- were there 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 for the presidency, staked his candidacy less on any
distinctive political ideology than on galvanizing a broad coalition of voters
around the notion that Trump posed an existential threat to American democracy.
Four years after Trump's "American Carnage" speech painted a dark portrait of
national decay, Biden warned that the fabric of the nation's democracy was
tearing but could be repaired.
"I know the forces that divide us are deep and they are real. But I also
know they are not new. Our history has been a constant struggle 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," Biden said.
"This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and unity is the path
forward and we must meet this moment as the United States of America."
Swearing the oath with his hand on a five-inch-thick Bible that has been in
his family for 128 years, Biden came to office with a well of empathy and
resolve born by personal tragedy as well as a depth of experience forged from
more than four decades in Washington. At age 78, he is the oldest president
inaugurated.
Both he, Harris and their spouses walked the last short part of the route to
the White House after an abridged parade. Biden then strode into the Oval
Office, a room he knew well as vice president, for the first time as commander
in chief.
At the Capitol earlier, Biden, like all those in attendance, wore a face
mask except when speaking. Tens of thousands of National Guard troops were on
the streets to provide security precisely two weeks after a violent mob of
Trump supporters, incited by the Republican president, stormed the building in
an attempt to prevent the certification of Biden's victory.
"Here we stand, just days after a riotous mob thought they could use
violence to silence the will of the people," Biden said. "To stop the work of
our democracy. To drive us from this sacred ground. It did not happen. It will
never happen. Not today, not tomorrow. Not ever. Not ever."
The tense atmosphere evoked the 1861 inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, who
was secretly transported to Washington to avoid assassins on the eve of the
Civil War, or Franklin Roosevelt's inaugural in 1945, when he opted for a
small, secure ceremony at the White House in the waning months of World War II.
But Washington, all but deserted downtown and in its federal areas, was
quiet. And calm also prevailed outside heavily fortified state Capitol
buildings across nation after the FBI had warned of the possibility for armed
demonstrations leading up to the inauguration.
The day began with a reach across the political aisle after four years of
bitter partisan battles under Trump. At Biden's invitation, congressional
leaders from both parties bowed their heads in prayer in the socially distanced
service a few blocks from the White House.
Biden was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts; Harris by Justice Sonia
Sotomayor, the first Latina member of the Supreme Court. Vice President Mike
Pence, standing in for Trump, sat nearby as Lady Gaga, holding a golden
microphone, sang the National Anthem accompanied by the U.S. Marine Corps band.
When Pence, in a last 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 spouses were joined by the former presidents to
lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Ceremony.
By afternoon, a White House desolate in Trump's waning days sprang back to
life, with Biden staffers settling in and new COVID-19 safety measures, like
plastic shields on desks, in place.
In the evening, in lieu of the traditional balls that welcome a new
president to Washington, Biden and Harris appeared separately at the Lincoln
Memorial to take part in a televised concert that also marked 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.
The Bidens ended their evening watching fireworks from a White House balcony.
This was not an inauguration for the crowds. But Americans in the capital
city nonetheless brought their hopes to the moment.
"I feel so hopeful, so thankful," said Karen Jennings Crooms, a D.C.
resident who hoped to catch a glimpse of the presidential motorcade on
Pennsylvania Avenue with her husband. "It makes us sad that this is where we
are but hopeful that democracy will win out in the end. 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 final time as president.
"I will always fight for you. I will be watching. I will be listening and I
will tell you that the future of this country has never been better," said
Trump. He wished the incoming administration well but never mentioned Biden's
name.
Trump did adhere to one tradition and left a personal note for Biden in the
Oval Office. Biden would only tell reporters that it was "a very generous
letter."
Trump, in his farewell video remarks, hinted at a political return, saying
"we will be back in some form." Without question, he will shadow Biden's first
days in office.
Trump's second impeachment trial could start as early as this week. That
will test the ability of the Senate, now coming under Democratic control, to
balance impeachment proceedings with confirmation hearings and votes on Biden's
Cabinet choices.
|
|