Joe Biden takes the helm as US president, says democracy has prevailed; Kamala Harris sworn in as VP Biden s inauguration came at a time of national tumult and uncertainty, a ceremony of resilience as the hallowed American democratic rite unfurled at a US Capitol battered by an insurrectionist siege just two weeks ago The Associated Press January 20, 2021 23:33:50 IST Biden WAS 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 US Capitol in Washington. AP
Washington: Joe Biden became the 46th President of the United States on Wednesday, declaring that “democracy has prevailed. He swore the oath of office to take the helm of a deeply divided nation and inheriting a confluence of crises arguably greater than any faced by his predecessors.
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Our fate is inseparable from America’s: if the Republic falls, if individual liberty, constitutional democracy, free markets and equality before the law fail, so does the whole of the West. The United States may never have lived up to its ideals, but it remains a beacon among nations, a beautiful idea, a country with a unique, liberating mission.
In stark contrast to his predecessor’s inauguration four years ago, Joe Biden’s speech was befitting of the office he has inherited: this was indeed “democracy’s day”, with all of the proper iconography, and his message of healing and renewal exactly what the world was hoping for. As he put it, “politics doesn’t have to be a raging fire, destroying everything in its path.”
The inauguration ceremony was flanked with camouflaged guards, pop icons and messages of unity
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Squinting into the sun with a hand on the Bible, Joe Biden said the words he dreamed of uttering for at least half of his life.
“I, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States.”
Mr Biden, 78, had spent 36 years as a US senator, eight years as US vice president, and tried three different times to reach the top job.
Here, standing before the US Capitol shortly before noon with relatives nearby and the world watching, he finally achieved his goal.
Congratulating Biden for being sworn in as the President of the United States, Modi said he was committed to working with him to take the India-US partnership to greater heights