WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 20: Joe Biden is sworn in as U.S. President during his inauguration on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. During today’s inauguration ceremony Joe Biden becomes the 46th president of the United States. Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP
With a call to reconciliation, Joe Biden became the 46th U.S. president on Wednesday, vowing to bridge profound gaps and fight domestic extremism two weeks after a mob assault threatened to reverse his election victory.
Biden swore the oath of office hours after Kamala Harris, who became America’s first woman vice president, turned the page on Donald Trump’s turbulent four years on a chilly yet sunny day in the same Capitol building that was targeted on January 6.
“Democracy is precious, democracy is weak, and democracy has prevailed at this hour, my mates,” Biden said before a National Mall that was virtually empty because of the ultra-tight security and a raging Covid-19 pandemic he promised to immediately confront.
“This uncivil war which pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal, must be stopped. We will do this if, instead of hardening our minds, we loosen our spirits, if we show a little tolerance and modesty and we are able to step in the shoes of the other individual.”
“An American tale of hope, not terror, of harmony, not discord, of light, not darkness, will be published together. A tale of dignity and dignity, of love, of redemption, of goodness.”
But by declining to attend his successor’s inauguration, Trump, who unfairly said he was tricked out of a second term and egged on his followers prior to their rampage at the Capitol, broke 152 years of tradition.
After four years of intense polarization in which Trump belittled marginalized groups and sought to cast doubt on factual reality, Biden spoke to Trump’s allies, promising to listen to all sides.
“For all Americans, I’ll be president.”
US President-elect Joe Biden and incoming US First Lady Jill Biden are welcomed by former US President Barack Obama and former US First Lady Michelle Obama as they arrive before his inauguration as the 46th President of the United States on the West Front of the US Capitol in Washington,DC on January 20, 2021. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / POOL / AFP)
US President-elect Joe Biden and US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris sit ahead of the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th US President on January 20, 2021, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY / AFP)
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 20: Jennifer Lopez is escorted to the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. During today’s inauguration ceremony Joe Biden becomes the 46th president of the United States. Rob Carr/Getty Images/AFP
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 20: Former president Barack Obama hugs First Lady Dr. Jill Biden during the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. During today’s inauguration ceremony Joe Biden becomes the 46th president of the United States. Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFP
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 20: U.S. President Joe Biden reacts after being sworn in during his inauguration on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. During today’s inauguration ceremony Joe Biden becomes the 46th president of the United States. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images/AFP
Kamala Harris (L) bumps fists with US President-elect Joe Biden (R) after being sworn in as the 49th US Vice President on January 20, 2021, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. (Photo by JONATHAN ERNST / POOL / AFP)
US President-elect Joe Biden (L) greets former US President Barack Obama, with a fist bump during the inauguration of the 46th US President on January 20, 2021, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY / POOL / AFP)
US President Joe Biden delivers his inauguration speech on January 20, 2021, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. – Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the US. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)