‘MY WHOLE SOUL IS IN THIS’
Biden vows to unite divided nation at emotion-filled inaugural as 46th president
Joe Biden, his steady hand on a dog-eared family Bible, was sworn in Wednesday as the nation’s 46th president before calling for a fractured nation to heal after four unprecedented years of rancor and an ongoing pandemic.
“This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and unity is the path forward,” said Biden in a 21-minute address aimed at restoring the country’s shaky equilibrium. “We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts.”
The Scranton, Pa.-born Biden recited the 35-word oath of office at the U.S. Capitol only 14 days after rioters incited by former President Trump invaded the landmark building in an unprecedented attack on the government. His inauguration on a brisk January day came amid security reminiscent of a war zone and a crowd greatly diminished by COVID-19.
Trump fled Washington before the event, a final unpresidential act to end his administration. He became the first U.S. president in 152 years to skip his successor’s ascension.
While the new president never mentioned the missing president, Biden’s message was clear as he vowed to bring an end to an era of deceit.
“There is truth, and there are lies — lies told for power and for profit,” Biden said as former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton sat behind him. “Each of us has a duty and responsibility as citizens, as Americans and especially as leaders, who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation, to defend the truth and defeat the lies.”
Vice President Mike Pence, who skipped Trump’s White House departure, instead attended the inauguration and stopped afterward to chat with his history-making successor Kamala Harris on the Capitol steps.
Biden acknowledged the nation’s deepening health, economic and political crises, declaring that “uniting our people” was a prerequisite for ending the coronavirus crisis, resurrecting the pandemic-plagued economy and restoring the nation’s soul.
He swore his oath of office on the vintage Celtic Bible, a family heirloom more than a century old, to become the nation’s oldest president at age 78.
Before Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath for Biden, his running mate Harris was sworn in as the first woman, Black and South Asian vice president. Harris gave two thumbs up to Biden and flashed a broad smile after Bronxborn Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor administered her oath.
Despite the applause and standing ovations, Biden’s inauguration was an overwhelmingly somber affair. Midway through his address, Biden announced a moment of silence for the more than 400,000 Americans killed by the coronavirus under Trump’s watch.
“We have much to do in this winter of peril, and significant possibilities,” said Biden. “Much to repair, much to restore, much to heal, much to build and much to gain. 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.”
The proof was obvious on the National Mall, typically packed with supporters of the new president. The space gaped empty due to concerns over the ever-worsening pandemic and threats of more far-right violence.
Tens of thousands of heavily armed National Guard troops patrolled surrounding streets, and steel barriers erected across Capitol Hill created an eerie tableau around the country’s seat of democracy. The few hundred attendants at the inauguration wore face masks and socially distanced.
Parts of the Capitol were still covered in scaffolding, a grim reminder of the mob that stormed the building, killed a police officer and ransacked the halls of Congress in a violent Jan. 6 attempt to overturn Biden’s election. The freshly minted president expressed his relief that the insurrectionists failed to accomplish their goals.
“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.”
Trump jetted to Florida to begin his postpresidential life under a cloud of potential legal jeopardy, including his forthcoming Senate impeachment trial on charges of inciting the bloody Capitol assault that left five dead.
“Have a nice life. See you soon,” Trump said at an early morning “farewell” event before his final flight on Air Force One.
Biden, eager to close the book on the Trump era, planned a jampacked first day as president.
After the inauguration, he oversaw a “Pass in Review,” where representatives of the six branches of the U.S. military marched past to mark the peaceful transfer of power to a new commander-in-chief.
Biden, Harris and their spouses later joined Obama, Bush and Clinton to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
Biden announced plans to quickly sign a flurry of executive orders: To rejoin the Paris Climate Accord, scrap Trump’s “Muslim ban” on travel, implement a face mask mandate for those on federal property and lay out a plan for reuniting migrant children separated from their families by the Trump administration.
Biden has additionally pledged to immediately begin lobbying Congress for a $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus package as his administration embarks on a campaign to end the pandemic.
In a sharp contrast to Trump, who had a hard time luring A-List celebrities for events, Lady Gaga sang the National Anthem while Jennifer Lopez performed “This Land Is Your Land” and “America the Beautiful.” Garth Brooks also appeared, leading the sparse audience in his version of “Amazing Grace.”
For Democrats, Biden’s inauguration was a breath of long-awaited fresh air.
“It’s a new beginning. It’s a reflection of the strength and endurance of our democracy,” said Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.).