Biden and Harris prepare to be sworn in to office on Inauguration Day
Preparations are made before a dress rehearsal for the 59th inaugural ceremony for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Pool)
Inauguration Day Events
On Jan. 20, 2021, President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be sworn into office at the 59th Presidential Inauguration. Leading up to the inauguration, the Biden administration participated in a day of service on Jan. 18, 2021.
The National Day of Service is intended to celebrate and honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“Service is a fitting way to start to heal, unite, and rebuild this country we love,” Biden said in an email from the inaugural committee. “I hope you’ll join us today on the National Day of Service and make a difference in your communities.”
According to the American Hospital Association, a COVID-19 memorial will honor lives lost during the pandemic included in the inauguration activities.
“President-elect Biden is planning to host a memorial to remember and honor the lives lost to COVID-19 on Tuesday, Jan. 19 — the night before he is inaugurated president,” said the American Hospital Association. “A Washington, D.C., ceremony will feature a lighting around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, and cities and towns are invited to illuminate buildings and ring church bells at 5:30 p.m. ET that day as part of a national moment of unity and remembrance.”
Due to the global pandemic, there won't be a public parade from the Capitol to the White House this year. The inaugural ball has also been cancelled.
However, there will be performances by many artists including Lady Gaga, Tom Hanks, Demi Lovato, Foo Fighters, AJR and Garth Brooks. Each show will be held virtually for further accessibility and to ensure safety. The schedule of events can be found on the inauguration website.
Throughout their campaign, President-elect Joe Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris have promised unity, peace and a better America for all. Biden and Harris have taken to their social media to discuss their plan of action with their supporters. With Inauguration Day looming, these messages of hope and new beginnings are coming more often from the team. Both Biden and Harris seek to improve American lives by offering improved health care, raising the minimum wage, assisting immigrants with citizenship and COVID-19 relief.
Trump’s Presidency, Transition of Power, Capitol Breach
National Guard troops reinforce security around the U.S. Capitol ahead of expected protests leading up to President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, following the deadly attack on Congress by a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Through many trials, American democracy survived the 2020 election cycle and voter fraud conspiracies. On Jan. 6, a large group of people stormed the Capitol building following a rally, which included a speech given by President Trump. Associate Professor of Political Science Thomas Pope offered insight on this momentous event.
“It is extraordinarily unusual to have the kind of resistance we have seen among [Trump’s] administration and the next one. When you have transfer of power between parties, there is always a little bit of friction,” said Pope. “Oftentimes, that will occur with the President and among lower officials in the executive branch. Early in our nation’s history, we do see this friction between parties, but in the modern presidency, we have not seen this friction.”
Due to the ease in which the Capitol was breached, President-elect Joe Biden’s safety has been questioned. In Washington, up to 25,000 National Guard troops will be in place to ensure the safety of those in attendance.
The area surrounding the Capitol has been blocked off, and vast stretches of downtown Washington, D.C., are barricaded and off-limits.
“While the rioters who breached security had no chance of stopping the transition, their actions had symbolic power. This inauguration will be unusual for a level of security not seen since Lincoln’s first inauguration,” said professor of history John Coats. “As in 1861, large numbers of troops have deployed to Washington to keep order and ensure that Biden takes office without interference from protestors, rioters or terrorists.”
Inauguration Day
The inaugural ceremonies will begin with the national anthem and invocation at 11:30 a.m. ET. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is expected to be sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor shortly before noon, according to NPR.
President-elect Biden will be sworn in at noon by Chief Justice John Roberts.
In light of the coronavirus pandemic and security concerns in the wake of the violent storming of the U.S. Capitol building, the ceremony will look much different from previous ones.
Under normal circumstances, thousands of people gather on the National Mall while the president-elect takes the oath of office on the west front of the Capitol. The National Mall is currently closed to the public in response to threats to visitors and park resources. This year, it is anticipated that only 1,000 people will be in attendance, with the majority being Congress members and their guests.
After he's sworn in, Biden will deliver his inaugural address, giving the new president a chance to lay out an agenda and vision with all of America — and the world — watching.
Biden will then move to the Capitol's East Front for what's known as Pass in Review, a longstanding tradition in which a new president assesses the military troops, according to NPR.
Biden, Harris and former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, along with their spouses, will then travel to Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Biden will then receive a military escort, with every branch of the military represented, from 15th Street to the White House before an evening of virtual activities, reports NPR.
The scheduled events will be accessible virtually for anyone to view. To tune in to the Inauguration and celebrations, click here.
