France on Wednesday congratulated U.S. President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris hours ahead of the presidential inauguration in Washington.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed relief that Joe Biden was replacing Donald Trump as US president on Wednesday, calling it a “good day for democracy”.
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Key moments from the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were sworn into office on Jan. 20, 2021.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Finally, and more than a bit nervously, Joe Biden s moment arrives on Wednesday.
Whether it can last will depend on forces beyond his control forces that will be tested early and often as his presidency begins.
The president-elect s inaugural speech will call for resolve and unity and be forward-looking in tone, Biden aides say. It will not and cannot avoid its placement in this moment, though, and Biden comes to office amid challenges both unique and familiar.
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Carter, a Democrat who became the
longest-lived American president in 2019, is among the many who landed musical heavyweights for his swearing-in. Queen of Soul Franklin, who also performed at Obama’s first inauguration, sang “God Bless America” for Carter, and Linda Ronstadt sang a cover of “Crazy.”
Alas, the 39th U.S. president, who has attended every swearing-in ceremony since his own in 1977, won’t be attending Biden’s inauguration due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Like Carter before him, Democrat Clinton invited a number of luminaries, including Michael Jackson, Elton John and Barbra Streisand to perform at events surrounding his first inauguration, ramping up the star power with celebrity cameos. His preinaugural events accommodated almost every musical taste with a wide array of events across several days leading up to his swearing in.