WASHINGTON — Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn in Wednesday as the president and vice president of the United States, with the new commander-in-chief calling for an end to America’s “uncivil war” in a historically subdued ceremony.
Biden, the 46th president in the nation’s history, was sworn in just before noon by Supreme Court Justice John Roberts on an heirloom family Bible dating back more than a century, shortly after Harris was sworn in by Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
In a brief inaugural address, Biden called on Americans to give more weight to the ties that bind them together than the differences that would pull them apart.
“The answer is not to turn inward, to retreat into competing factions, distrusting those who don’t look like you or worship the way you do, or don’t get their news from the same sources you do,” he said.
“We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this, if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts.”
It was the voice of the American people, Biden said, that brought him to the balcony of the US Capitol on a chilly January day.
“The will of the people has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded. We’ve learned again that democracy is precious and democracy is fragile. At this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed,” Biden said in his inaugural address.
“This is America’s day, this is democracy’s day, a day of history and hope and renewal and resolve,” Biden said. “Today we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate but of a cause, the cause of democracy. The will of the people has been heard.
“Democracy has prevailed.”
Biden was sworn in 11 minutes early, at 11:49 a.m., and in brief remarks relative to prior inaugural addresses, spoke for only about 21 minutes.
The historic moment occurred shortly after Biden and wife Jill ascended the Capitol steps hand-in-hand, as did Harris and husband Doug Emhoff, entering the seat of American democracy two weeks to the day after it was besieged in a bloody riot that left five people dead.
Biden too invoked that strife — and the unity that has emerged on the other side.
“Now, on this hallowed ground, where just a few days ago violence sought to shake the Capitol’s very foundation, we come together as one nation under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power.”
Also on hand for the pageantry were former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, whom Biden served as vice president for two terms, as well as former first ladies Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama.
The political power couples were introduced onto the Capitol balcony one by one, as the US Marine Band played under intermittent snow flurries.
Addressing the bipartisan contingent and a fractured nation, Biden urged unity.
“This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge. Unity is the path forward,” Biden said. “And we must meet this moment, as the United States of America.
“If we do that, I guarantee you, we will not fail.”
To that end, Biden vowed to be a president not of Democrats, but of Americans, and encouraged those who voted against him to embark upon the next four years with an open mind.
“All those who did not support us, let me say this: Hear me out as we move forward. Take a measure of me and my heart,” he welcomed. “If you still disagree, so be it, that’s democracy, that’s America.
“The right to dissent peaceably within the guardrails of our republic is perhaps this nation’s greatest strength,” he said. “Hear me clearly, disagreement must not lead to disunion.”
In the face of the worsening coronavirus pandemic and security threats at home and abroad, Americans must succeed together or risk failing apart, Biden said.
Biden’s inaugural address included a moment of silent remembrance of the more than 400,000 Americans lost to COVID-19.
He did not mention a nationwide mask mandate, which he’d indicated prior to Inauguration Day may be in the offing.
After Biden, Harris and their families arrived on the Capitol balcony for their swearing-in, Democratic Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, herself a presidential hopeful in the 2020 field, delivered opening remarks.
“Have we become too jaded, accustomed to the ritual of the passing the torch of democracy, to truly appreciate what a blessing and a privilege it is to witness this moment?” she asked. “I think not.”
She invoked the Jan. 6 riot that saw supporters of President Donald Trump storm the US Capitol in an attempt to stop Congress’ certification of Biden’s election win.
“Two weeks ago, when an angry, violent mob staged an insurrection and desecrated this temple of our democracy, it awakened us to our responsibilities as Americans,” she said. “This is the day when our democracy picks itself up, brushes off the dust, and does what America does.”
Klobuchar was followed by Sen. Roy Blunt, who stressed the American vision of working toward unity.
“The Founders did not say to form a perfect union,” said the Missouri Republican. “They did not claim that in our new country, nothing would need to be improved. Fortunately, they understood that always working to be better would be the hallmark of a great democracy.”
Following an invocation, Lady Gaga entered the balcony to perform a stirring rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Minutes later, Jennifer Lopez performed a medley that included “This Land Is Your Land” and “America the Beautiful.”
Additionally in attendance are former Vice President Dan Quayle — who served alongside the late President George H.W. Bush — congressional lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, and some of the black-clad Supreme Court justices.
Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Stephen Breyer did not attend the ceremony, with a Supreme Court spokesperson citing coronavirus concerns.
Though the political stars were out, Biden was sworn in over an empty Washington, DC, with the coronavirus and heightened security conspiring to restrict crowd sizes.
The former vice president took the oath of office outside a heavily fortified US Capitol and empty National Mall amid unprecedented security fears in the wake of this month’s deadly Capitol siege.
The Bible used for his swearing-in has belonged to the Biden family for more than a century. The giant heirloom dates back to 1893 and is the same Bible that Biden used when he was first elected to the US Senate in 1973.
Included in the onlookers was Vice President Mike Pence, while the absence of Trump loomed large.
The outgoing commander-in-chief skipped town at 8 a.m. with a departure ceremony at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, becoming the first president since 1869 to avoid his successor’s inauguration.
A staggering 25,000 National Guard troops have also flooded the nation’s capital amid fears of further attacks in the wake of the Capitol siege that saw five people die when a mob of Trump supporters stormed Congress.
Replacing the hundreds of thousands of joyous onlookers who traditionally flood the National Mall is a sea of American flags, which will be illuminated for the next two days.
The display represents all 50 states, Washington, DC, and the United States’ five permanently inhabited territories.
Additional reporting by Emily Jacobs and Steven Nelson
