With the US presidential inauguration scheduled for today, both outgoing president Trump and president-elect Joe Biden touched on the topics of the need of unity in the country. The United States has witnessed some fractious moments recently, with Trump disputing the election results, and his supporters storming the Capitol in what was widely decried as an "insurrection attempt". The FBI had even, recently, spoken out about armed extremist groups attempting to wreak havoc at the Biden inauguration.
Trump, in his farewell video message, said that now more than ever, Americans must unify around their shared values and rise above partisan rancour to forge their common destiny. Trump, in a pre-recorded video message released by the White House on Tuesday, said to serve as the president has been an honour beyond description. "Thank you for this extraordinary privilege. And that's what it is—a great privilege and a great honour," he said.
"This week, we inaugurate a new administration and pray for its success in keeping America safe and prosperous. We extend our best wishes, and we also want them to have luck—a very important word," Trump said on the eve of his departure from the White House for his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Listing out some of the key accomplishments of the US government from January 20, 2017 to January 20, 2021, Trump said his administration achieved more than anyone thought possible.
"We restored American strength at home and American leadership abroad. The world respects us again. Please don't lose that respect," Trump said, adding that his administration revitalised US alliances and rallied the nations of the world to stand up to China like never before.
Biden, in his maiden address to the nation today, soon after being sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, will deliver a forward-looking speech built around the theme of unity, advisors close to the president-elect said, reported news agencies. The speech is likely to last between 20 and 30 minutes. The theme of the speech is America United.
According to the advisors, in his first moments after being sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, Biden will speak about the need to bring the country together during an unprecedented moment of crisis. He will reach out to all Americans, and call on every citizen to be part of meeting the extraordinary challenges facing fellow Americans, his advisors said Tuesday on the condition of anonymity.
Biden's remarks will be a forward-looking vision for his presidency while addressing the moment we are living in as a country. The speech is built around the theme of unity, said the advisors.
Biden and Harris inaugurations
Biden and Kamala Harris will take oath today, at 10:30pm IST. Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the oath of office to Biden.
Harris, 56, will make history as the first female, first Black and first South Asian American vice president when she will be sworn in by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina member of the Supreme Court. Sotomayor administered the oath to Biden as vice president in 2013. She will be sworn in on two Bibles—one that belonged to a close family friend named Regina Shelton and another that belonged to Thurgood Marshall—the country's first African American Supreme Court justice. Trump has said he will not attend the inauguration. Trump, a Republican, will vacate the White House hours before the inauguration and is expected to travel to his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
The scaled down inauguration is expected to begin with an invocation by Leo Jeremiah O'Donovan, a Jesuit priest who is a close friend of the Biden family. Andrea Hall, the first African0American female firefighter to become captain of the Fire Rescue Department in South Fulton, Georgia, will recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Singer-dancer Lady Gaga will sing the national anthem and Amanda Gorman, who became the country's first Youth Poet Laureate in 2017, will read a poem she has written for the occasion called 'The Hill We Climb'. She will be followed by a performance by actress-singer Jennifer Lopez.
After the swearing-in ceremony, Biden and Harris will attend a traditional Pass in Review with members of the military on the East Front of the Capitol, signifying the peaceful transfer of power to a new commander-in-chief. Biden, Harris and their spouses will visit Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, where they will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. After the wreath ceremony, they will head to the White House, where they will get a presidential escort. That will kick off the virtual "Parade Across America," featuring performances from all 56 states and territories.
At night, Biden is forgoing the traditional inaugural balls because of the COVID pandemic, and he will instead take part in a television event called "Celebrating America."
-Inputs from agencies
