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Biden-Harris inauguration: All you need to know

Trump is the first president to skip the inauguration in 152 years

USA-BIDEN/ US President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris during a news conference at Biden's transition headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, US | Reuters

Just a day remains before Democratic President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are sworn in. Kamala Harris will script history as the first woman of south Asian and African heritage to become the Vice President. She will be sworn in by Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic justice in the US Supreme Court. Joe Biden will be the first Catholic President, 60 years after John F. Kennedy. Ahead of the Presidential inauguration, the Capitol building was briefly put under lockdown on Monday, in wake of the events of January 6, when angry mobsters stormed the building— an event in which five people lost their lives. 

Ahead of the event, the FBI is bringing in 25,000 National Guard troops to Washington DC, as they are worried about an insider attack.

Harris and Biden, in the meanwhile, ahead of being sworn-in as the 46th president and vice president, have put together a playlist of 46 songs. The songs, meant to reflect the vibrant diversity of America, include tracks from artists like Bruce Springsteen, Dua Lipa, Beyonce, Earth, Wind, Fire, Bob Marley & The Wailers and more. 

The inauguration will take place in front of the West Front of the United States Capitol.

The guests

In previous years, the inauguration ceremony would host as many as 200,000 people. This year, due to the surge in coronavirus numbers, only 1,000 tickets were offered for sale. 

Biden and Harris will be joined by Lady Gaga, who will sing the national anthem and Jennifer Lopez, who will sing during the ceremony’s musical performance. 

A COVID-19-friendly primetime performance lasting 90 minutes will be hosted by actor Tom Hanks. This will include performers like Garth Brooks, Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato and Justin Timberlake.

When

The event is scheduled to begin at 10 am local time and will feature a live stream, for the first time for ‘young Americans'.

After being sworn in, the president and vice president will deliver an inaugural address, where Biden will shed light on his plans to fight the COVID-19 pandemic that has so far claimed over 399,000 American lives. 

Later in the day, the Bidens will move into the White House—their home for the next four years. 

Even though soon-to-be-former president Donald Trump will skip the ceremony, the traditional ‘pass in reviews’ ceremony will take place, where the new commander-in-chief will inspect the troops. But, the parade will be a virtual one. 

President-elect, First Lady, Vice President-elect, and Second Gentleman will participate in this event. Donald Trump will be the first-ever president to skip the inauguration in 152 years, after President Andrew Johnson in 1869.



Where to watch it

The ceremony will be aired on television networks, including ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, MSNBC and PBS. It can be streamed live on https://bideninaugural.org/watch/ and Amazon Prime, 8.30 pm IST.

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