BILL BARROW and AAMER MADHANI
President-elect Joe Biden speaks during a COVID-19 memorial, with lights placed around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Tuesday in Washington. (AP photo)
WASHINGTON President-elect Joe Biden made a sober entrance to the nation’s capital Tuesday, ready to assume power as America reels from the coronavirus pandemic, soaring unemployment and grave concerns about more violence as he prepares to take the oath of office.
Biden, an avid fan of Amtrak, had planned to take a train into Washington ahead of Wednesday’s Inauguration Day, but scratched that plan in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
The departing commander-in-chief delivered a self-congratulatory Wednesday farewell speech after departing the Oval Office for a final time, but couldn’t bring himself to congratulate the incoming president by name on the way out.
Breakdown of what happened during the inauguration of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris
By: Scripps National
and last updated 2021-01-20 17:04:14-05
Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, bringing to an end an election season unlike any in the country s history.
Biden s path to the presidency included an improbable comeback following two defeats in the Democratic primary, a bitter campaign disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and months-long protests against police brutality, several days of delayed election results and a transition marred by violence from his successor s supporters.
Despite the challenges, Biden took the oath of office at the U.S. Capitol shortly before noon ET. Wednesday s inauguration ceremony took place in front of an empty National Mall due to the COVID-19 pandemic and threats of violence.