This article was published more than 1 year ago. Some information may no longer be current.
Joe Biden thanks guests after taking the oath of office during his swearing-in ceremony as the 46th U.S. President at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 20, 2021.BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images
The ceremony sent the world a message. In its language of democratic renewal, in its parade of household-name stars, in its diversity of faces and voices, and in its absence of incident, the inauguration of President Joe Biden tried to show off a United States that had returned to normal.
But it could be a long time before the world fully believes that message. For all its moving rhetoric and poetry, the return of a more conventional and human politician to the presidency was never, in itself, going to look to the world like a return to the U.S. status quo. Unlike after the inauguration of Barack Obama a dozen years ago, the United States will not quickly return from a period of chaos and divisiveness to being an example of stable democracy or a reliable partner in global endeavours.
Four years of president Donald Trump, and two weeks consisting of shocking violence followed by fear, have turned the United States into quite another kind of example.
“Here’s my message to those beyond our borders,” Mr. Biden told international audiences during his inauguration speech. “America has been tested and we’ve come out stronger for it; we will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again.”
As he spoke, though, it was clearly visible to anyone watching the inauguration on the world’s screens that the United States is nowhere close to being the same place it was in 2016.
Behind Mr. Biden was the eggshell dome of the Capitol, its interior still being repaired from a violent mob incursion instigated two weeks ago by Mr. Trump that shattered its security and interrupted the democratic process. In front of him was a Washington Mall nearly denuded of civilians by a massive force deployed to prevent a second attack by Trump loyalists amid a pandemic that Mr. Trump allowed to spiral out of control and kill more than 400,000 Americans.
The sun rises behind the US Capitol as preparations are made prior to the 59th inaugural ceremony for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on the West Front of the US Capitol in Washington.CAROLINE BREHMAN/AFP/Getty Images
1 of 37
Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Jill Biden holds the Bible during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol.Andrew Harnik/The Associated Press
2 of 37
Joe Biden kisses his wife Jill Biden after being sworn in as the 46th U.S. President.POOL/Getty Images
3 of 37
Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th President of the United States on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol.KEVIN LAMARQUE/Reuters
4 of 37
Amanda Gorman prepares to recite a poem during the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol.KEVIN LAMARQUE/Reuters
5 of 37
Flags line the National Mall in front of the U.S. Capitol before the start of the inauguration.STEPHANIE KEITH/Getty Images
6 of 37
President-elect Joe Biden bumps fists with former U.S. President Barack Obama during Biden's inauguration as the 46th President of the United States on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol.JONATHAN ERNST/Reuters
7 of 37
Kamala Harris is sworn in as U.S. Vice President as her spouse Doug Emhoff holds a bible during the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States.KEVIN LAMARQUE/Reuters
8 of 37
Kamala Harris is sworn in as U.S. Vice President during the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol.BRENDAN MCDERMID/Reuters
9 of 37
Jennifer Lopez looks on during the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol.Alex Wong/Getty Images
10 of 37
Law enforcement personnel monitor an area in Washington.SUSAN WALSH/AFP/Getty Images
11 of 37
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers his speech after he was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol.KEVIN LAMARQUE/Reuters
12 of 37
Lady Gaga sings the National Anthem as U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris look on during the National Anthem during the inauguration of Joe Biden.BRENDAN MCDERMID/Reuters
13 of 37
Former US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle are seen before US president-elect Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th US President at the US Capitol in Washington.WIN MCNAMEE/AFP/Getty Images
14 of 37
Former US President Bill Clinton arrives with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States on the West Front of the US Capitol.JIM LO SCALZO/AFP/Getty Images
15 of 37
Former US President George W. Bush and former US First Lady Laura Bush arrive for the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th US President at the US Capitol.ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/Getty Images
16 of 37
Social distancing audience during the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington.BRENDAN MCDERMID/Reuters
17 of 37
Members of the National Guard salute as they stand near the U.S. Capitol while the National Anthem is sung during the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.STEPHANIE KEITH/Getty Images
18 of 37
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) arrives at the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol.Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
19 of 37
The National Guard gather near the U.S. Capitol before the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in Washington.STEPHANIE KEITH/Getty Images
20 of 37
President-elect Joe Biden congratulates Vice President Kamala Harris after she was sworn in during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.Carolyn Kaster/The Associated Press
21 of 37
Former New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez arrives at the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol.Win McNamee/Getty Images
22 of 37
Members of law enforcement line the streets ahead of the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden in Washington.Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
23 of 37
President-elect Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden attend Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle during Inauguration Day ceremonies in Washington.Evan Vucci/The Associated Press
24 of 37
Teri McClain, who flew from Seattle to see Inauguration Day, holds figures of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris while standing outside a barrier in front of the U.S. Capitol.CAITLIN OCHS/Reuters
25 of 37
Outgoing US President Donald Trump waves as he boards Marine One at the White House in Washington.MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
26 of 37
Tiffany Trump and her fiancé Michael Boulos, left, and Donald Trump Jr., and his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle, wait for President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump to arrive and board Air Force One for a final time at Andrews Air Force Base.Manuel Balce Ceneta/The Associated Press
27 of 37
Ivanka Trump (C), husband Jared Kushner (C-L), their children, Eric (R) and Donald Jr. (2nd R), Tiffany Trump (L) and Trump family members stand on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.ALEX EDELMAN/AFP/Getty Images
28 of 37
Two White House Marine sentries rehearse opening doors, one with a visible breakage from 06 January, before the 59th inaugural ceremony for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol.Pool/Getty Images
29 of 37
A welcome banner is seen outside the US Capitol before the 59th Presidential Inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden in Washington.ERIN SCHAFF/AFP/Getty Images
30 of 37
A staff member puts a presidential flag on a limousine after Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, in Washington.MIKE SEGAR/Reuters
31 of 37
President Joe Biden speaks during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.Patrick Semansky/The Associated Press
32 of 37
U.S. President Joe Biden is hugged by his wife Jill Biden after delivering his inaugural address on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol.Rob Carr/Getty Images
33 of 37
President Joe Biden hugs his wife Jill Biden and children Hunter and Ashley Biden after he is sworn in as the 46th President of the United States at the U.S. Capitol.
(Jonathan Ernst/Pool Photo via AP)JONATHAN ERNST/The Associated Press
34 of 37
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris salutes as she walks with her great-niece Amara Ajagu during the Inauguration Day parade.ERIN SCOTT/Reuters
35 of 37
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden wave as they arrive at the North Portico of the White House.Alex Brandon/The Associated Press
36 of 37
U.S. President Joe Biden signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, after his inauguration.TOM BRENNER/Reuters
37 of 37
It seems likely that Mr. Biden and his Democratic Party’s twin congressional majorities will be able to overcome many of those challenges within the United States. But the fact that these preventable catastrophes have happened, and that Mr. Trump was able to overstep the bounds of behaviour, decency and morality in democratic rule, means that partner countries such as Canada will have to assume, for decades, that this sort of democratic collapse is always possible in the United States. Authoritarian leaders will be able to strengthen their legitimacy and public appeal by pointing to the past four years of U.S. history as the sort of catastrophe democracy can bring.
This is reflected in international public opinion. Even in conventionally pro-American parts of the world, recent surveys show that citizens and leaders are no longer willing to automatically trust the United States over other major powers, or view its democratic system as a barrier to it becoming a dangerous country.
“The majority of Europeans endorse Biden’s agenda, but they fear that the divided American nation could prevent Biden from realizing it,” Ivan Krastev, head of the Centre for Liberal Strategies, said in an interview from his office in Sofia, Bulgaria.
A president's inauguration speech is a way to express the vision for their administration. Donald Trump's 'American carnage' is a memorable moment from his 2017 speech, contrasting with Joe Biden's talk of unity in his address from the Capitol.
The Globe and Mail
On Tuesday, Mr. Krastev and his colleagues at the European Council on Foreign Relations released a major survey of Europeans that they said showed most people on the continent “do not think [Mr. Biden] can help America make a comeback as the pre-eminent global leader.” In a major change of opinion, most Europeans no longer believe Europe should rely on the United States for its defence and believe the U.S. political system is permanently broken.
Leaders and citizens in Europe, Southeast Asia and elsewhere are hedging their bets by looking to China and other non-democratic countries as major partners. This is not because they believe China’s increasingly repressive leadership is a model, but because a totalitarian communist regime appears to be more stable and reliable in the long term than a United States that might be vulnerable to another explosion of self-isolating populist extremism.
That was evident this month as the European Union rushed to conclude a free-trade agreement with China, before Mr. Biden’s inauguration, whose existence could stymie the new President’s efforts to bring dozens of countries together in a multilateral approach to confronting China. In a turn to self-interested realism, the bloc’s 27 countries viewed China and the United States as gambles with equal odds.
This did not go unnoticed by Mr. Biden and his staff. In his speech on Wednesday, Mr. Biden strove to win back the world’s affections with a phrase he has used in many speeches over the years: “We’ll lead, not merely by the example of our power, but by the power of our example.”
It was all too apparent, as his audience departed through a deep security phalanx, that doing so will not be easy or quick.
Catch up on key moments of President Joe Biden's inauguration speech where he called for unity and calm amidst racial injustice, white supremacy and a raging pandemic.
The Globe and Mail
Keep your Opinions sharp and informed. Get the Opinion newsletter. Sign up today.