Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, taking control of a nation wracked by a deadly pandemic, persistent unemployment, and burgeoning social unrest to cap the most acrimonious transfer of power in modern American history.
Biden, 78, took the oath of office from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts at a solemn ceremony at the US Capitol which was snubbed by the outgoing president.
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The new president’s inauguration marked a stark reversal for the American electorate. After four turbulent years governed by Trump, who had never previously held public office, voters turned to a man who spent more than four decades in Washington, including 36 years as a U.S. senator from Delaware and eight years as vice president to Barack Obama.
In his first presidential address, Biden, who took the oath of office from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, assured Americans that he would provide a positive example to the world under his leadership as president.
“This is America’s day…this is democracy’s day… A day of history and hope,” the president said. “Today we celebrate the triumph of not a candidate but the cause of democracy. Democracy is precious…fragile…at this hour democracy has prevailed.”
The newly sworn-in president also spoke about the violence at the US Capitol. He also thanked his predecessors of both parties for their presence at the ceremony. “I thank them from the bottom of my heart…” he said. “And I know the resilience of our Constitution and the strength, the strength of our nation…”
Ahead of the inauguration, Biden tweeted: “It’s a new day in America.”
It’s a new day in America.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 20, 2021
Today, we begin anew. Tune in for #Inauguration2021. https://t.co/HxfU8q5riA
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 20, 2021
Biden entered office facing historic challenges: Covid-19 has now claimed more than 400,000 lives in the U.S. and rising infection rates in many parts of the country threaten to overwhelm hospitals and continue to pummel the economy. Meanwhile, Biden’s ability to muster a broad-based response to the pandemic risks being constrained by the narrow majority Democrats to hold in the House and Senate.
He has already asked lawmakers to pass a $1.9 trillion bill that would provide additional funding for vaccination programs, extend unemployment benefits, send stimulus checks to many Americans, and raise the minimum wage — the opening salvo in what aides say will be a sustained push to restore the nation’s physical and economic health through ambitious spending programs.
Biden on Wednesday became the oldest U.S. president to be inaugurated. For a man who has spent decades roaming the halls of official Washington, the capstone of his political career unfolded unlike any in recent political history.
For one, Biden was joined on stage by his trailblazing vice president.
Kamala Harris, 56, became the first woman, the first Black person, and the first Indian-American to serve in the role. The former California senator was sworn in shortly before Biden by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.