In a historic event, Joe Biden took the oath of office at noon on Jan. 20 to defend the Constitution as the 46th President of the United States.
Biden sued for peace and unity in his inaugural address. “We’ll press forward with speed and urgency for 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,” the president said after taking the oath.
Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath amid extra-ordinary security situation reflected in the scanty attendees at the National Mall. The breach of the U.S. Capitol two weeks earlier elicited tighter security measures.
Biden was accompanied by his wife Jill Biden. Instead of the customary crowd on the National Mall, organizers planted thousands of American flags.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) delivered the opening speeches.
President Donald Trump skipped the inauguration after he departed White House earlier in the day for Florida. But Vice President Mike Pence attended the ceremony alongside former Presidents Barack Obama, George Bush, and Bill Clinton.
Inaugural Address
President Biden’s address touched on racism, the climate, domestic terrorism and white supremacy, unity.
“My whole soul is in this, bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation and I ask every American to join me in this cause,”
Biden said.
“Uniting to fight the foes we face: anger, resentment and hatred, extremism, lawlessness, violence, disease, joblessness and hopelessness. With unity, we can do great things, important things.”
Will Unity end Impeachment?
Will Biden’s call for unity end hostilities between Democrats and Republicans? Only time will tell, especially as Democrats seem bent on making sure Trump is convicted at the Senate impeachment trial.
Although legal eexperts say it is unconstitutional to impeach a President after leaving office, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is yet to transmit article of impeachment to the Senate. It is believed she is stalling in order for newly elected senators to be sworn-in, in order for Democrat to assumed leadership being majority.
Will Biden undo Trump Legacy?
It is unclear if President Biden will undo much of Trump’s legacies as emphasised on campaign.
He is expected to sign a list of nearly two dozen executive actions later in the day, including an order stopping the construction of Trump’s signature border wall, re-joining the Paris Climate Agreement, and canceling the travel ban Trump put in place to protect the United States from terrorism.
Lawmakers from both chambers of Congress and Supreme Court justices attended the ceremony.
Biden, a 78 years old Democrat, takes office amid a bitterly contested election that threatened to tear the country apart.
The Democrats will hold majorities of both the House and Senate during at least the first two years of Biden’s term.
The president is expected to take advantage of the Democratic control to enact a list of left-wing priorities. These include coronavirus relief bill, the $15 minimum wage mandate.
Biden sent an immigration bill proposal to Congress ahead of the inauguration, which would give legal status to millions of illegal aliens.
Honduran Migrant Caravan
Meanwhile, a caravan of thousands of Honduran migrants are headed toward the U.S. border and calling on Biden administration to honor its “commitments” to migrants and asylum seekers. They were referring to a December pledge to hone a “new approach” to migration issues.
The migrants, including families with young children, are fleeing poverty and violence in a region
