This article was published more than 1 year ago. Some information may no longer be current.
U.S. President Joe Biden signs documents as U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, right, watches in the Presidents Room at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 20, 2021.Pool/Getty Images
The sun having just reappeared, his hand on a hefty Bible, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. took the oath of office Wednesday in the same place, the temple of American democracy, which only a fortnight ago was ransacked by thousands of vandals, alt-right miscreants and sick boys pretending to be proud boys.
In the militarized zone that served as the setting for the inauguration of the 46th president, a sparse crowd in masked faces looked on, making the tableau all the more surreal. Outgoing president Donald Trump didn’t even show up, the first to snub his successor’s ceremony since Andrew Johnson did it in 1869. Tens of millions of his followers, many of whom don’t even accept the election verdict, no doubt approved.
All was in keeping with the state of the American union. It is a traumatized country. But following four years of unrelieved psychodrama, the goal of Joe Biden this day was to signal a new dawn. In that, it succeeded. It was a heartening and uplifting inaugural – a catharsis for the country, a day of deliverance.
“Don’t tell me things can’t change,” Mr. Biden said in a speech devoted to unity and ringing with sincerity and determination. “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.”
The speech was repetitive; it was heavy on platitudes, and it lacked a blueprint. But it was right for the moment, and it left a sense that Joe Biden was the man for the moment. With the river of history having led the country to a grievous juncture, the new President was setting a course to return it to the high seas.
A conciliator has replaced a bomb thrower. It was Donald Trump’s appalling defects of character, more than his policies, that burdened and broke the country. Joe Biden – a man of civility, a polar opposite of Mr. Trump in myriad respects – may well be the cure.
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
“We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal,” he said. “We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts.”
In keeping with the unity pledge, the inauguration saw more racial and gender barriers torn down as California Senator Kamala Harris, the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, became the first woman and first Black American to become Vice-President.
Black women mobilized the Democratic vote following the convulsions set off by a policeman’s knee-to-neck killing of George Floyd. With Ms. Harris, they look to have a pillar of racial justice in an executive mansion whose former occupant gave vent to white tribalism.
Mr. Trump’s absence from the swearing-in symbolized the menacing cleavages in the land. In the morning before departing for his Florida lair, he did pause to wish the new administration well, predicting it would do so.
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
But he was typically unrepentant and boastful, saying to a small gathering at Andrews Air Force base that “what we’ve done is amazing by any standard.” He also said he would be back “in some form.”
As Mr. Trump still holds the allegiance of his base, even after his role in fomenting the Capitol riot, he may have such an opportunity. While his supporters were no doubt pained by his departure, the rest of the population was never so anxious for change or so relieved it happened. For four years, Mr. Trump had overwhelmed the conscience of the country while debasing its institutions, assaulting truth and dignity and maiming standards of decency. The end of all that had come.
All inauguration days are overcharged with optimism and hope. The reality sets in the following days, as it will for Joe Biden.
But if it is a country in need of empathy and of treating one another with dignity and respect, Mr. Biden won’t disappoint. He’s often told the story of his mother, Jean Finnegan, who told him, “Nobody is better than you and you are no better than anyone else.”
That kind of spirit, that sense of equality, has been so absent. But with the source of much of it gone and Joe Biden in the presidency, a new turn seemed possible.
In his address, Mr. Biden invoked Martin Luther King, Jr., whose holiday had preceded the inauguration on Monday. One of King’s rousing incantations was not only felt by Americans on that day, but with the demagogue gone, on Mr. Biden’s day also.
“Free at last, free at last. Thank God almighty, we’re free at last.”
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
Editor’s note: Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this column incorrectly said Andrew Jackson snubbed his successor's inauguration in 1869. In fact, it was Andrew Johnson.
Keep your Opinions sharp and informed. Get the Opinion newsletter. Sign up today.