Biden inauguration will be different
WASHINGTON — Between the still-raging pandemic and suddenly very real threat of violence, the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris next Wednesday promises to be one of the most unusual in American history. Here’s what we know:
Can I attend?
Probably not.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is flat-out telling people to stay home. Airbnb says it is canceling all reservations to prevent people from coming to the capital. Local activists are calling for Bowser to close down all hotels, but she has declined to go that far. Downtown roads and metro stations will be closed and authorities are so determined to keep people away that they’re considering closing all the bridges from Virginia.
What’s going to be different?
Almost everything.
The outgoing president traditionally attends the inauguration to symbolize the peaceful transfer of power. But Donald Trump, who falsely claimed that the election was riddled with fraud, has refused to be there. Vice President Mike Pence plans to attend.
Forget a parade with crowds of people cheering on the new president and vice president. And there will be no inaugural balls for Biden, Harris and their spouses to dance the night away.
Planners had originally sought to retain some time-honored aspects of a normal inauguration, just less crowded and within the boundaries of COVID-19 protocols. But in the wake of the violent Jan. 6 mob attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters, all semblance of normality might be gone.
Downtown Washington, D.C., has been turned into an armed camp. The National Mall is sealed to the public and the Washington Monument has shut down. 21,000 National Guard troops will be on the job Wednesday, alongside D.C. police and multiple federal law enforcement agencies.
What’s going to be the same?
Like their predecessors, Biden and Harris will take their oaths of office outside the Capitol Building. Biden, according to the inauguration website, will give a speech to the nation, “laying out his vision to defeat the pandemic, build back better, and unify and heal the nation.”
Afterward, Biden and Harris will complete the traditional “Pass in Review” inspection
of troops from all service branches, a ritual that symbolizes the peaceful transfer of power to a new Commander in Chief.
Biden, first lady Jill Biden, Harris and second gentlemen Douglas Emhoff will later visit Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They will be joined by former presidents and first ladies Barack and Michelle Obama, George W. and Laura Bush, and Bill and Hillary Clinton.
What events are there?
Planners have laid out several days of shows, presentations and virtual events, including:
■ Today at 8 p.m.: “We the People” — a virtual concert hosted by Keegan-Michael Key and Debra Messing.
■ Monday: A national day of service and volunteerism to coincide the Martin
Luther King Jr. Day. At 8 p.m., an MLKthemed special will be broadcast.
■ Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.: A memorial ceremony to pay tribute to those killed by COVID-19. The ceremony will include illuminating buildings, ringing church bells around the nation and a lighting ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool.
■ Wednesday: Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez will appear in person at the inauguration, with Gaga singing the national anthem as Biden and Harris are sworn in on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, and Lopez giving a musical performance.
Foo Fighters, John Legend and Bruce Springsteen will offer remote performances, and Eva Longoria and Kerry Washington will introduce segments of the event.
Then at 8:30 p.m., Tom Hanks will host a 90-minute prime-time special with remarks from Biden and Harris and performances by Justin Timberlake,
Jon Bon Jovi and Demi Lovato.
Will there be violence?
The inauguration comes just two weeks after the insurrection at the Capitol by Trump supporters as Congress was confirming Biden’s victory.
Law enforcement officials insist they won’t be caught flat-footed this time and the FBI has warned of armed protests and potential attacks being planned by militant Trump supporters in D.C. and in every state capital.
Supporters of Trump are among a handful of groups that have applied for permits to hold protests during the inauguration. But it appears unlikely their application will be approved as the National Park Service greatly curtails protests as part of a major security lockdown.
As of Friday, the NPS had received five permit applications for demonstrations. Among them, was a group called “Let America Hear Us, Roar For Trump.”
NPS spokesman Mike Litterst told The Associated Press that the pro-Trump group had “not responded to our repeated attempts to contact them and set up a meeting regarding their application and their permit is therefore unlikely to be issued.”
The Department of Interior has fended off calls from Bowser and others to simply cancel all demonstration permits. But Litterst said two groups had been approved to hold small demonstrations in specific locations, a pair of leftist organizations called D.C. Action Lab and the Answer Coalition.
Jeff Reinbold, NPS superintendent for the National Mall, said the two approved groups had agreed to each keep their demonstrations below 100 people. Each group would be scanned with magnetometers, and escorted by U.S. Park Police to the permitted location, “and then they’ll have the ability to express their first amendment rights,” Reinbold said.
Tensions will be high through Jan. 20 and beyond. Officials warned that the increased fortification of the Capitol and White House could drive potential insurgents to seek out softer targets in D.C. or elsewhere around the country.