The day has comeinauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the White House. At 11.30 local time, 17.30 in Italy, on 20 January in Washington will begin the official ceremony marking the beginning of the new final exit of Donald Trump. Compared to Inauguration day seen in the past, this year the differences will be seen and felt. Not only due to the absence of the outgoing president but also due to the restrictions and numerous security measures taken due to the Covid-19 emergency and following theassault on Capitol Hill of 6 January.
HOW WE GOT HERE
THEElection Day of November 3, 2020 he decreed the victory of the Democratic candidate Joe Biden on the incumbent president, Republican Donald Trump. Thanks to a turnout that made these elections the most attended in US history, Biden obtained more than 81 million votes (51,4% of the total) against 74,2 million (46,9%) for Trump. The former vice president also achieved another record: after 28 years he broke the series of victories by outgoing presidents re-nominated by their respective parties.
After four years of Republican leadership, the Democrats have therefore managed to return to the White House. Not only that, they got it too majority in the House and then the victory in the runoff held in Georgia on January 5, they managed to conquer too the Senate, securing control of Congress. In reality, in the Upper House, the two parties will be able to count on 50 senators each but, to break the parity, it will be the vote of the Democratic vice president Kamala Harris.
Since the hours immediately following the counting of the presidential elections, Donald Trump has started talking about electoral fraud (never tried), refusing to recognize Biden's victory, hindering the transition of powers and presenting legal appeals promptly rejected by all the Courts that have examined them.
Trump's behavior and the repeated accusations launched by the outgoing president have resulted in one of the most serious events in the democratic history of the United States. On January 6, 2021, after a speech in which the president invited the demonstrators who flocked to Washington to "fight" and "stop the theft", hundreds of people stormed Capitol Hill while the congressional session was underway to officially certify Joe Biden's victory. Congressmen were evacuated and 5 people died in or as a result of the attack and all major social networks they permanently suspended Trump's accounts, to avoid new dangers. On January 13, 2021, the US House voted for put the president under impeachment for the second time in four years.
THE INAUGURATION DAY
Americans call it Inauguration day and is traditionally the day it is held the formal installation ceremony of the new president and his deputy. Until 1933, the Constitution required presidents to be sworn in on March 4. Subsequently, with the ratification of the 20th amendment, theInauguration day it was anticipated and fixed for 20 January (21, if the previous day falls on a Sunday) in order to shorten the transition period and avoid prolonged uncertainty.
But there have been other changes over the decades. Initially, theInauguration day it was a ceremony exclusively linked to the swearing-in of the president-elect. Over the years it has turned into an appointment characterized by parties, military parades along Pennsylvania Avenue (the road that connects the White House to the Capitol), live performances by singers and artists. The day usually ends with a gala ball at the White House.
BIDEN'S SETTLEMENT
As mentioned, this year Biden's inauguration ceremony will begin at 11.30 local time (17.30pm). Half an hour later, around noon, the oath of office will be held on the west side of the Capitoline Hill. Vice President Kamala Harris will instead be sworn in 5 minutes before her president.
Biden would have liked to get to Washington from Delaware by train, as he always did in the years he was a senator and vice president. For security reasons, however, the president-elect had to give up on his proposal.
After the oath Biden will officially become the 46th president of the United States of America and will deliver a speech, launching a message of unity to America (“American United” is precisely the title), explaining how it intends to fight the pandemic and mend the divisions of the country. Biden's words, underlined the commission that deals with the presidential inauguration, will reflect "the beginning of a new national journey that will bring back the American spirit, uniting the country and creating a path for a brighter future".
After his speech, the president will move to the White House, where he will live for the next 4 years.
WHO WILL BE THERE AND WHO WILL NOT BE THERE
The Biden and Harris inauguration ceremony will be attended by the former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Vice President Mike Pence will also be there. Supreme Court justices, members of Congress, military officers and other dignitaries will also attend.
Il the great absentee will be outgoing President Donald Trump, who will leave the White House on the morning of January 20, half an hour before the start of the official inauguration ceremony, and will fly to Florida aboard Air Force One. According to forecasts, thousands of his supporters will be waiting for Trump in the Mar-A Lago golf club and the outgoing president (at that point he became ex) could even give a speech in parallel to that of Biden.
Curiosity: in the past only John Adams, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Johnson, second, sixth and seventeenth US presidents respectively, did not participate in the inauguration ceremonies of their successor. In 1974, Richard Nixon, who resigned due to the Watergate scandal, did not attend the swearing-in of his deputy, Gerald Ford.
SAFETY MEASURES
This year's one will be a Inauguration day one of a kind. Two main reasons: the Covid-19 pandemic and enhanced security after the storming of Capitol Hill.
For both reasons, many of the traditional appointments of the day have been skipped. For example, the usual congressional lunch will not be held, replaced by an exchange of gifts between the deputy and members of Capitol Hill. No gala ball at the White House and above all no parade along Pennsylvania Avenue, replaced by a "virtual parade" across the United States with events that will be broadcast live on TV.
The organizing committee announced that the "top priority will be safety citizens while celebrating American traditions".
Imposing security measures have been envisaged for Biden's inauguration. Compared to the 200 attendees of past ceremonies, this year they are only 1.000 people admitted. They will all have to wear a mask and respect the rules of distancing.
More than 25 workers have been called to monitor Washington between National Guard soldiers, police officers and federal agents. A state of emergency has been declared in the city. The National Mall and Memorial Parks remain closed, as well as all parking lots located in the area between the White House and Capitol Hill. Access to bridges and 21 subway stations in the area will be prohibited until January 13. The main avenues of the city were also closed.
THE PERFORMANCES
The ceremony will be opened by Lady Gaga who will sing the American anthem. During the day there will also be a performance by Jennifer Lopez. In 2017 on Trump's Inauguration Day, after a long series of defections, the band 3 Doors Down, country artist Lee Greenwood and the Rockettes dance troupe performed.
At 20.30 (2.30 in Italy) the Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks will host a 90-minute show that will be broadcast on the main American networks. Bruce Springsteen, Ant Clemons, Jon Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters, Eva Longoria, John Legend, Kerry Washington, Demi Lovato and Justin Timberlake will also participate remotely. Guests included sports personalities such as NBA basketball icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Kim Ng, the first female general manager of men's professional baseball.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE CEREMONY
The ceremony will be visible on international TV channels, but also on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Twitch, Amazon Prime Video, Microsoft Bing, and on the website Biden inaugural.
