<p><strong>Kamala Harris</strong> on Wednesday became the first woman <strong>Vice President of the United States</strong>, during a ceremony which took place at the West Front of the Capitol. 56-year-old Harris is the country's 49th Vice President and will serve as the deputy of <strong>46th American President - Joe Biden.</strong></p>

<p>Harris took over the duties of VP from Mike Pence, while Biden succeeded Donald Trump.</p>

<p>In her first tweet as Vice President, Harris exclaimed - "Ready to serve". Besides being the first-ever woman Vice President of the country, Harris is also the first Black and first South Asian Vice President of the United States.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-joe-biden-and-kamala-harris-make-history-in-us-reactions-from-world-leaders-pour-in-358127" hreflang="en">As Joe Biden and Kamala Harris make history in US, reactions from world leaders pour in</a></p>

<p>Harris is the daughter of Indian immigrants coming from Chennai. Her husband is also making history. Douglas Emhoff is the first "Second Gentleman" of the United States.</p>

<p>Harris' oath was administered by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina member of the US Supreme Court. Harris was sworn in on two Bibles - one belonging to a close family friend Regina Shelton, and the other belonging to Thurgood Marshall - the first African American Supreme Court justice.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/joe-biden-sworn-in-as-46th-president-of-united-states-358118" hreflang="en">Joe Biden sworn in as 46th President of United States</a></p>

<p>Harris' mom is Indian, while her father is from Jamaica. She was born in Oakland, California in 1964.</p>

<p>Harris is a woman of many firsts. In 2003, she won her first race for San Francisco's district attorney, who became the first Black women to hold office in California. When she was elected as California's attorney general in 2010, she became the first Black woman to do so. In 2016, she became the second Black woman to be elected as a US senator. And today, she made history again.</p>


Kamala Harris on Wednesday became the first woman Vice President of the United States, during a ceremony which took place at the West Front of the Capitol. 56-year-old Harris is the country's 49th Vice President and will serve as the deputy of 46th American President - Joe Biden.

Kamala Harris on Wednesday became the first woman Vice President of the United States, during a ceremony which took place at the West Front of the Capitol. 56-year-old Harris is the country's 49th Vice President and will serve as the deputy of 46th American President - Joe Biden. Harris took over the duties of VP from Mike Pence, while Biden succeeded Donald Trump. In her first tweet as Vice President, Harris exclaimed - "Ready to serve". Besides being the first-ever woman Vice President of the country, Harris is also the first Black and first South Asian Vice President of the United States. Also read: As Joe Biden and Kamala Harris make history in US, reactions from world leaders pour in Harris is the daughter of Indian immigrants coming from Chennai. Her husband is also making history. Douglas Emhoff is the first "Second Gentleman" of the United States. Harris' oath was administered by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina member of the US Supreme Court. Harris was sworn in on two Bibles - one belonging to a close family friend Regina Shelton, and the other belonging to Thurgood Marshall - the first African American Supreme Court justice. Also read: Joe Biden sworn in as 46th President of United States Harris' mom is Indian, while her father is from Jamaica. She was born in Oakland, California in 1964. Harris is a woman of many firsts. In 2003, she won her first race for San Francisco's district attorney, who became the first Black women to hold office in California. When she was elected as California's attorney general in 2010, she became the first Black woman to do so. In 2016, she became the second Black woman to be elected as a US senator. And today, she made history again.

Kamala Harris breaks barriers as America's first Black, South Asian woman Vice President

Joe Biden's inauguration was a historic moment for the US. Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States and became the oldest President of the country.

Joe Biden's inauguration was a historic moment for the US. Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States and became the oldest President of the country. His running mate Kamala Harris to created history by becoming the first woman to be sworn in as the Vice President of the country. She also the first person of colour to have become the US Vice President. Social media was super active as the world witnessed the ceremony on television. The ceremony was inspiring but it also led to some hilarious memes on the internet and Senator Bernie Sanders featured in a lot of them. Senator Sanders was photographed sitting crosslegged in isolation, wearing mittens, and mask. The image became a subject of hilarious memes. Check them out. "I am once again asking for a space heater." https://t.co/2PmfOWFGYE — Daisy Razor-in-candy (@daisy_razor) January 20, 2021 × “This could’ve been an email” pic.twitter.com/kn68z6eDhY — Ashley K. (@AshleyKSmalls) January 20, 2021 × tired of being caught in the tangle of my government pic.twitter.com/a9E4T2wxD9 — JP (@jpbrammer) January 20, 2021 × pic.twitter.com/vE5I7FMNCu — Paul Gale (@ImPaulGale) January 20, 2021 × https://t.co/sDOMbfNn6Z — Melissa Lewis (@iff_or) January 20, 2021 × oh wow, this might be my favoritehttps://t.co/MN3gGyAOYt — Melissa Lewis (@iff_or) January 20, 2021 × when I’m early for a movie but didn’t bring a book pic.twitter.com/FCrFnxE3gS — Marc (@MarcSnetiker) January 20, 2021 × NOT BERNIE SANDERS STARK??!! 💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀 pic.twitter.com/xklU9v2sKH — Jessica Fyre 💫 (@TheJessieWoo) January 21, 2021 × actual photos of bernie sanders and tom hanks tonight at the inauguration night celebration pic.twitter.com/J1QtMWkCWX — Tori :) (@dottie_tori) January 21, 2021 × Even Ryan Reynolds took a shot and posted his version of the now popular meme. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ryan Reynolds (@vancityreynolds) × Of course, no meme fest is complete without poking some fun at outgoing President Donald Trump and his family. There were several who wondered where Trump's youngest son Baron was as only Trump and Melania were clicked leaving the White House hours before the ceremony started. A lot of them wondered if the couple had left behind their 14-year-old son at the White House! barron trump standing at the foot of the biden’s bed tonight asking if they’re his parents now pic.twitter.com/H6MiW4Hv3x — juls 🌞 (@julleeg) January 20, 2021 × barron trump when he realizes his family forgot him at the white house and now he gets to live with the bidens pic.twitter.com/KFHJ20du5J — denise ☾ (@C0NNEX1ON) January 20, 2021 × [Biden finds left behind Barron Trump wandering the White House halls] Hey man — Brendan O'Hare (@brendohare) January 20, 2021 × Barron trump this morning pic.twitter.com/KeOqXboSzI — Patrick (@PrayForPatrick) January 20, 2021 × Barron walking downstairs for breakfast pic.twitter.com/FLXQoKK6GV — yum maga tears (@BringOutTheDead) January 20, 2021 × ARE YOU BARRON WE HAVE TO GO pic.twitter.com/0ZjPdePqvM — Santiago Mayer (@santiagomayer_) January 21, 2021 × There were also some interesting takes on Trump's apparent letter to Biden before he left the Oval Office. Donald Trump, age 74, presidential letter to Joe Biden. pic.twitter.com/SV9mH83fYt — Jacques (@KindbutSalty) January 20, 2021 × Trumps letter to Biden🙌🏿 pic.twitter.com/CFPoFSeZWf — Quirk (@MotheiQuirk) January 20, 2021 × Trump’s note to President Biden just leaked. pic.twitter.com/gzxGnNg34K — The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) January 20, 2021 × Then there were some observations about Joe Biden's enormous Bible. Joe Biden got his Bible from King James himself. pic.twitter.com/XB0vZpYOhA — Kevín (@KevOnStage) January 20, 2021 × Joe Biden’s Bible must be the director’s cut. pic.twitter.com/4ZgS34B2ja — Woody Whitehurst - Thumb Gangster (@woodywhitehurst) January 20, 2021 × first edition signed by jesus looking bible https://t.co/sKIGrZnrEW — hasanabi (@hasanthehun) January 20, 2021 × The event had Lady Gaga performing. Needless to say, there were a lot of reactions on the singer as well as on Jennifer Lopez and Garth Brooks' acts. Lady Gaga went from Star Wars to Hunger Games real quick. pic.twitter.com/VD1BWfAyAT — 〄 (@PopeChromaticus) January 20, 2021 × My cat when JLo broke into “Let’s get Loud” 😂 pic.twitter.com/HemrhcnFGU — Sarah Kaplan (@sarahkaplan48) January 20, 2021 × j lo fighting the urge to break into the extended 11:11 hex hector vocal remix version of waiting for tonight — Desus Nice (@desusnice) January 20, 2021 × jennifer lopez in me in her fifties my twenties pic.twitter.com/TDgQ8OqEub — niti 📌 rt!! (@NITIWASTAKEN) January 20, 2021 × Garth Brooks singing Amazing Grace pic.twitter.com/8yWOKT3nWR — Sean Yoo (@SeanYoo) January 20, 2021 ×

Sitting Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden's bible and Donald Trump's exit: The best memes from inauguration day

<p>On Wednesday, Amanda Gorman made history by becoming the youngest inaugural poet in the history of the United States.&nbsp;</p>

<p>She performed at the 59th Presidential Inauguration, delivering her original composition "The Hill We Climb" at the Capitol. In attendance were US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.</p>

<p>In conversation with CBS, Gorman called the feat "amazing", further adding that at 22, nobody gets to say that they're the inaugural poet.<br />
<br />
Her inspiration behind the poem? Abraham Lincoln and Dr Martin Luther King Jr's speeches, she claimed. But the recent riots at the US Capitol inspired her to pick up the poem.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/kamala-harris-breaks-barriers-as-americas-first-black-south-asian-woman-vice-president-358140" hreflang="en">Kamala Harris breaks barriers as America's first Black, South Asian woman Vice President</a></p>

<p>She told CBS that her poem "came to life" in the aftermath of the riots at the Capitol, which left six people dead - including a police officer.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
At the age of 19, Gorman was named the US' First Youth Poet Laureate. At the age of 16, Gorman was Youth Poet Laureate of Los Angeles.</p>

<p>Due to a speech impediment, Gorman couldn't put her voice to work, which inspired her to "author her voice on the page".</p>

<p><strong>In Pics:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/joe-bidens-presidential-inauguration-whats-changed-whats-new-and-whats-missing-358033" hreflang="en">Joe Biden's presidential inauguration: What's changed, what's new, and what's missing!</a></p>

<p>She further referred to poetry as a weapon, calling it an "instrument of social change".</p>

<p>But this is not it! Gorman has bigger plans - she intends to run as US President in 2036.</p>

<p>This was not the only first at the inauguration ceremony. Kamala Harris on Wednesday became the first woman Vice President of the United States, during a ceremony which took place at the West Front of the Capitol. 56-year-old Harris is the country's 49th Vice President and will serve as the deputy of 46th American President - Joe Biden.</p>


On Wednesday, Amanda Gorman made history by becoming the youngest inaugural poet in the history of the United States. She performed at the 59th Presidential Inauguration, delivering her original composition "The Hill We Climb" at the Capitol.

On Wednesday, Amanda Gorman made history by becoming the youngest inaugural poet in the history of the United States. She performed at the 59th Presidential Inauguration, delivering her original composition "The Hill We Climb" at the Capitol. In attendance were US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. In conversation with CBS, Gorman called the feat "amazing", further adding that at 22, nobody gets to say that they're the inaugural poet. Her inspiration behind the poem? Abraham Lincoln and Dr Martin Luther King Jr's speeches, she claimed. But the recent riots at the US Capitol inspired her to pick up the poem. Also read: Kamala Harris breaks barriers as America's first Black, South Asian woman Vice President She told CBS that her poem "came to life" in the aftermath of the riots at the Capitol, which left six people dead - including a police officer. At the age of 19, Gorman was named the US' First Youth Poet Laureate. At the age of 16, Gorman was Youth Poet Laureate of Los Angeles. Due to a speech impediment, Gorman couldn't put her voice to work, which inspired her to "author her voice on the page". In Pics: Joe Biden's presidential inauguration: What's changed, what's new, and what's missing! She further referred to poetry as a weapon, calling it an "instrument of social change". But this is not it! Gorman has bigger plans - she intends to run as US President in 2036. This was not the only first at the inauguration ceremony. Kamala Harris on Wednesday became the first woman Vice President of the United States, during a ceremony which took place at the West Front of the Capitol. 56-year-old Harris is the country's 49th Vice President and will serve as the deputy of 46th American President - Joe Biden.

Amanda Gorman becomes youngest inaugural poet in US history

<p>Long before he won US Election 2020, Joe Biden had promised that if he gets elected, he will build a team that 'looks like America'; diverse, inclusive and young. Team Biden will indeed be diverse. The choices of people in this team represent diversity of ideology, background, race and religion.</p>

<p>61 per cent of the White House appointees are women. 54 per cent are people or colour. 11 per cent are of LGBTQ community. 20 per cent of the appointee are first-generation Americans. And 40% per cent of them have children at home.</p>

<p>What about the cabinet picks? It's a motley crew again. Moreover, many of the nominees will be pioneers in their roles. People who have broken barriers and shattered glass ceilings with their appointments.</p>

<p>In Biden administration, there will be many firsts.</p>

<p>First woman to lead national intelligence.</p>

<p>First black defence secretary.</p>

<p>First Latino health secretary.</p>

<p>First Native American cabinet secretary.</p>

<p>First Latino head of homeland security.</p>

<p>Youngest secretary of state in decades.</p>

<p>And the first openly-gay man confirmed to a cabinet role in American history!</p>

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<p>Joe Biden plans to use America's diversity as an essential strength in his cabinet. At Department of Justice, judge Merrick Garland has been nominated to serve as America's next attorney-general. He is a 68-year-old centrist. This is Garland's third nomination to the US Supreme Court.</p>

<p>At Department of Commerce, Gina Raimondo Has been nominated as commerce secretary. If confirmed she will be the fourth woman to hold this position. At Department of Education Miguel Cardona has been nominated as the head. He is currently the commissioner of education in Connecticut. If confirmed, Cardona will be the second Puerto Rican and the 3rd Latino secretary of education.</p>

<p>At Department of Interior, US Representative from New Mexico. Deb Haaland has been nominated for the position of interior secretary. If confirmed, 60-year-old Haaland will be the first Native American to become a cabinet secretary. He is a rising star in the Democratic Party and a familiar name among millennials.</p>

<p>Pete Buttigieg has been nominated as transportation secretary. If confirmed, the 39-year-old will be the first LGBTQ person to hold a cabinet post in America</p>

<p>Next, in Department of Energy, former Michigan Mayor Jennifer Granholm has been appointed as secretary of energy. She is a strong advocate for zero-emission vehicles. 61-year-old Granholm will only be the second woman to serve as secretary of energy.</p>

<p>Janet Yellen has been appointed as Treasury Secretary. She will be the first woman ever to hold this post. Yellen was also the first woman to chair US Federal Reserve in Obama era.</p>

<p>Another important and unprecedented nomination is of Llyod Austin who is a retired four-star army general. He has been nominated to head the department of defence. If confirmed, Llyod Austin will be the first black defence secretary, the first black chief of Pentagon in American history.</p>

<p>Xavier Becerra has been nominated to steer the Department of Health &amp; Human Services. If confirmed, The 62-year-old will be the first Latino to head the department</p>

<p>At the Office of Management &amp; Budget Neera Tanden has been nominated to serve as the director. If her name is confirmed, she will be the first woman of colour and the first South Asian-American to lead this office.</p>

<p>Alejandro Myorkas has been nominated to head the Department of Homeland Security.</p>

<p>If confirmed, he will be the first Latino-American and the first immigrant to lead this agency. This is the agency that is in-charge of implementing America's immigration policies and border laws.</p>

<p>Looking after national intelligence will be Avril Haines. She has been nominated as director of intelligence. Once her name is confirmed, she will be the first woman to lead America's intel community.</p>

<p>And working in tandem with her will be Jake Sullivan. He has been appointed as the National Security Adviser. At age 43, Sullivan will be the youngest person to hold the position since the Eisenhower administration.</p>

<p>Linda Thomas-Greenfield has been nominated as US Ambassador to United Nations. If confirmed, she would be only the second black woman to hold the post.</p>

<p>And lastly the Department of State.</p>

<p>Replacing the dynamic Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State will be Antony Blinken. As the country's top diplomat, Blinken will play a pivotal role in rebuilding America's alliances like re-entering agreements with Iran, and to halt his country's exit from the World Health Organisation (WHO).</p>

<p>Confirmation of these names is a given since Democrats have won control of US Senate too. So once these appointments are made, the Biden-Harris administration will be the most diverse in American history.</p>


Long before he won US Election 2020, Joe Biden had promised that if he gets elected, he will build a team that 'looks like America'; diverse, inclusive and young.

Long before he won US Election 2020, Joe Biden had promised that if he gets elected, he will build a team that 'looks like America'; diverse, inclusive and young. Team Biden will indeed be diverse. The choices of people in this team represent diversity of ideology, background, race and religion. 61 per cent of the White House appointees are women. 54 per cent are people or colour. 11 per cent are of LGBTQ community. 20 per cent of the appointee are first-generation Americans. And 40% per cent of them have children at home. What about the cabinet picks? It's a motley crew again. Moreover, many of the nominees will be pioneers in their roles. People who have broken barriers and shattered glass ceilings with their appointments. In Biden administration, there will be many firsts. First woman to lead national intelligence. First black defence secretary. First Latino health secretary. First Native American cabinet secretary. First Latino head of homeland security. Youngest secretary of state in decades. And the first openly-gay man confirmed to a cabinet role in American history! × Joe Biden plans to use America's diversity as an essential strength in his cabinet. At Department of Justice, judge Merrick Garland has been nominated to serve as America's next attorney-general. He is a 68-year-old centrist. This is Garland's third nomination to the US Supreme Court. At Department of Commerce, Gina Raimondo Has been nominated as commerce secretary. If confirmed she will be the fourth woman to hold this position. At Department of Education Miguel Cardona has been nominated as the head. He is currently the commissioner of education in Connecticut. If confirmed, Cardona will be the second Puerto Rican and the 3rd Latino secretary of education. At Department of Interior, US Representative from New Mexico. Deb Haaland has been nominated for the position of interior secretary. If confirmed, 60-year-old Haaland will be the first Native American to become a cabinet secretary. He is a rising star in the Democratic Party and a familiar name among millennials. Pete Buttigieg has been nominated as transportation secretary. If confirmed, the 39-year-old will be the first LGBTQ person to hold a cabinet post in America Next, in Department of Energy, former Michigan Mayor Jennifer Granholm has been appointed as secretary of energy. She is a strong advocate for zero-emission vehicles. 61-year-old Granholm will only be the second woman to serve as secretary of energy. Janet Yellen has been appointed as Treasury Secretary. She will be the first woman ever to hold this post. Yellen was also the first woman to chair US Federal Reserve in Obama era. Another important and unprecedented nomination is of Llyod Austin who is a retired four-star army general. He has been nominated to head the department of defence. If confirmed, Llyod Austin will be the first black defence secretary, the first black chief of Pentagon in American history. Xavier Becerra has been nominated to steer the Department of Health & Human Services. If confirmed, The 62-year-old will be the first Latino to head the department At the Office of Management & Budget Neera Tanden has been nominated to serve as the director. If her name is confirmed, she will be the first woman of colour and the first South Asian-American to lead this office. Alejandro Myorkas has been nominated to head the Department of Homeland Security. If confirmed, he will be the first Latino-American and the first immigrant to lead this agency. This is the agency that is in-charge of implementing America's immigration policies and border laws. Looking after national intelligence will be Avril Haines. She has been nominated as director of intelligence. Once her name is confirmed, she will be the first woman to lead America's intel community. And working in tandem with her will be Jake Sullivan. He has been appointed as the National Security Adviser. At age 43, Sullivan will be the youngest person to hold the position since the Eisenhower administration. Linda Thomas-Greenfield has been nominated as US Ambassador to United Nations. If confirmed, she would be only the second black woman to hold the post. And lastly the Department of State. Replacing the dynamic Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State will be Antony Blinken. As the country's top diplomat, Blinken will play a pivotal role in rebuilding America's alliances like re-entering agreements with Iran, and to halt his country's exit from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Confirmation of these names is a given since Democrats have won control of US Senate too. So once these appointments are made, the Biden-Harris administration will be the most diverse in American history.

Joe Biden to have the most diverse administration in US history

<p>Justin Timberlake chose just the right song to perform at Joe Biden's 2021 presidential inauguration.&nbsp;Timberlake was part the live 'Celebrating America prime-time special that aired on Janúary 20. The singer teamed up with R&amp;B vocalist Ant Clemons for the song 'Better Days.'<br />
<br />
The segment was filmed at Timberlake's hometown of Memphis, Tenn. and featured the singers starting out indoors before making their way to the streets, where they danced with a small group of students and alumni from the city's Stax Music Academy.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
While speaking to NBC, Clemons revealed that Biden's team approached the duo after hearing them debut the tune as part of Stacey Abrams' 'Rock the Runoff'- the virtual event in December 2020. Clemons has been nominated at the 2021 Grammys for his EP 'Happy 2 Be Here'.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
"A few months ago @AntClemons and I wrote BETTER DAYS," Timberlake tweeted on Jan. 13. "This song was our way of doing what little we could to encourage everyone to stay hopeful and to keep working towards a better future. I'm honored to announce we'll be performing it for the Inauguration."</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">A few months ago <a href="https://twitter.com/AntClemons?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AntClemons</a> and I wrote BETTER DAYS. This song was our way of doing what little we could to encourage everyone to stay hopeful and to keep working towards a better future. I’m honored to announce we’ll be performing it for the Inauguration. <a href="https://t.co/aes5gXdEww">pic.twitter.com/aes5gXdEww</a></p>
— Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) <a href="https://twitter.com/jtimberlake/status/1349363968536694784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p>The song talks about hope and a better tomorrow and goes well with the theme of the inaugural event which was historic in many ways.A line from the chorus includes the lyrics, "It gets worse 'fore it gets better, but better's ahead."<br />
<br />
Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States. He is the oldest person to have Presidential elections in America. Kamala Harris became the first person of colour and first woman to be sworn in as the Vice President of US.&nbsp;</p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u4HkM6WzmFY" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
The song delivers a tone of optimism in line with the general theme of the historic day that saw Biden sworn in as the 46th President of the United States.&nbsp;<br />
'Celebrating America'- a virtual event had a starry line up of performers and was hosted by veteran actor Tom Hanks.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Justin Timberlake chose just the right song to perform at Joe Biden's 2021 presidential inauguration. Timberlake was part the live 'Celebrating America prime-time special that aired on Janúary 20.

Justin Timberlake chose just the right song to perform at Joe Biden's 2021 presidential inauguration. Timberlake was part the live 'Celebrating America prime-time special that aired on Janúary 20. The singer teamed up with R&B vocalist Ant Clemons for the song 'Better Days.' The segment was filmed at Timberlake's hometown of Memphis, Tenn. and featured the singers starting out indoors before making their way to the streets, where they danced with a small group of students and alumni from the city's Stax Music Academy. While speaking to NBC, Clemons revealed that Biden's team approached the duo after hearing them debut the tune as part of Stacey Abrams' 'Rock the Runoff'- the virtual event in December 2020. Clemons has been nominated at the 2021 Grammys for his EP 'Happy 2 Be Here'. "A few months ago @AntClemons and I wrote BETTER DAYS," Timberlake tweeted on Jan. 13. "This song was our way of doing what little we could to encourage everyone to stay hopeful and to keep working towards a better future. I'm honored to announce we'll be performing it for the Inauguration." A few months ago @AntClemons and I wrote BETTER DAYS. This song was our way of doing what little we could to encourage everyone to stay hopeful and to keep working towards a better future. I’m honored to announce we’ll be performing it for the Inauguration. pic.twitter.com/aes5gXdEww — Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) January 13, 2021 × The song talks about hope and a better tomorrow and goes well with the theme of the inaugural event which was historic in many ways.A line from the chorus includes the lyrics, "It gets worse 'fore it gets better, but better's ahead." Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States. He is the oldest person to have Presidential elections in America. Kamala Harris became the first person of colour and first woman to be sworn in as the Vice President of US. The song delivers a tone of optimism in line with the general theme of the historic day that saw Biden sworn in as the 46th President of the United States. 'Celebrating America'- a virtual event had a starry line up of performers and was hosted by veteran actor Tom Hanks.

Justin Timberlake and Ant Clemons chose the perfect song for Joe Biden's presidential inauguration

<p>US Vice President Kamala Harris while speaking the Lincoln Memorial echoed President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pandemic-economic-crisis-racial-injustice-climate-crisis-threats-to-our-democracy-says-president-biden-from-lincoln-memorial-358219">Biden's</a> thoughts calling on Americans "innovators and the educators" to work for the American dream.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/inauguration-2021-twitter-transfers-white-house-accounts-to-president-joe-biden-358231/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>"We not only dream we do. We not only see what has been, we see what can be we shoot for the Moon and then we plant our flag on it. We are bold fearless and ambitious," Harris asserted.</p>

<p>"This is American aspiration in the middle of the Civil War, <strong>Abraham Lincoln</strong> saw a better future with land-grant colleges and the transcontinental railroad in the middle of the civil rights movement," Harris said.</p>

<p>Like President<strong> Biden</strong>, Harris reminded Americans about Dr King's fight for racial and economic justice. Harris said Biden has "called upon us to summon now the courage to see beyond the crisis to do what is hard to do."</p>

<p>Harris lauded the effort of scientists including the contribution of "parents in nurturing generations to come in".&nbsp;</p>

<p>"What is good to unite. To believe in ourselves, believe in our country, believe in what we can do together," <strong>Harris</strong> said.</p>

<p>"A great experiment takes great determination the will to do the work and then the wisdom to keep refining, keep tinkering, keep perfecting the same determination is being realized in America today."</p>


US Vice President Kamala Harris while speaking the Lincoln Memorial echoed President Biden's thoughts calling on Americans "innovators and the educators" to work for the American dream.

US Vice President Kamala Harris while speaking the Lincoln Memorial echoed President Biden's thoughts calling on Americans "innovators and the educators" to work for the American dream. Watch: "We not only dream we do. We not only see what has been, we see what can be we shoot for the Moon and then we plant our flag on it. We are bold fearless and ambitious," Harris asserted. "This is American aspiration in the middle of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln saw a better future with land-grant colleges and the transcontinental railroad in the middle of the civil rights movement," Harris said. Like President Biden, Harris reminded Americans about Dr King's fight for racial and economic justice. Harris said Biden has "called upon us to summon now the courage to see beyond the crisis to do what is hard to do." Harris lauded the effort of scientists including the contribution of "parents in nurturing generations to come in". "What is good to unite. To believe in ourselves, believe in our country, believe in what we can do together," Harris said. "A great experiment takes great determination the will to do the work and then the wisdom to keep refining, keep tinkering, keep perfecting the same determination is being realized in America today."

Great experiment takes great determination, says Kamala Harris at Lincoln Memorial

<p>It was a historic moment on Wednesday as Kamala Harris became the first person of colour and first woman Vice President of the United States. The world witnessed Harris- a South-Asian and African woman, taking oath on the steps on Capitol Hill in Washington and collectively cheered her. But it seems the BTS Army had other reasons to celebrate.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
One Twitter user realised that Harris follows the popular K-pop band and instantly posted a screenshot of it.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-kamala-harris-opts-for-a-formal-purple-dress-and-coat-for-inaugural-ceremony-358096">Kamala Harris opts for a formal purple dress and coat for inaugural ceremony</a><br />
<br />
Someone else shared a screenshot of Kamala Harris' Spotify playlist which features BTS hit track 'Boy With Luv'.&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="t" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="60b7ea7b-5f8b-41cf-9d8a-5dbadeeb6fe2" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20-%202021-01-21T090013.009.jpg" /></p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">And she's a fan!!!!! Kamala Harris' Playlist got BTS' BWL on it!!!<br />
Madam Vice President got excellent taste! <a href="https://t.co/Bm5yXg2MeV">pic.twitter.com/Bm5yXg2MeV</a></p>
— KPphoenix💜𐤀 (@PphoenixK) <a href="https://twitter.com/PphoenixK/status/1351917499290275842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p>The two screenshots obviously got the ARMY excited as they claimed Harris as one of their own.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Here's how Twitter expressed excitement at discovering that Harris was part of the ARMY.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The <a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a> follows <a href="https://twitter.com/BTS_twt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BTS_twt</a> 😍🙌🏽💜 I love it! Kamala Harris has great taste <a href="https://t.co/2qHMaf1rPz">pic.twitter.com/2qHMaf1rPz</a></p>
— Kristian (@krissysingh59) <a href="https://twitter.com/krissysingh59/status/1351968658046611456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I wonder which one of ya’ll is Madam Vice President Harris’ ARMY stan account.....<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KamalaHarris?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KamalaHarris</a> 💜 <a href="https://twitter.com/BTS_twt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BTS_twt</a> <a href="https://t.co/E9qRJ8GbIE">pic.twitter.com/E9qRJ8GbIE</a></p>
— ⟭⟬ ᴮᴱQueen of 7 Kings⁷⟬⟭(semi ia) (@LJKOT7s14) <a href="https://twitter.com/LJKOT7s14/status/1351948653943001088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">VP Kamala Harris said let me start my Vice Presidency off RIGHT 💜 <a href="https://twitter.com/BTS_twt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BTS_twt</a> <a href="https://t.co/2M72MpCORs">pic.twitter.com/2M72MpCORs</a></p>
— joc⁷ • semi ia 🥺 (@bangtanslov3) <a href="https://twitter.com/bangtanslov3/status/1351981900374568968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Yo yo yo <a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KamalaHarris</a> follows <a href="https://twitter.com/BTS_twt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BTS_twt</a> I didn’t know I could fall deeper in love with her, but here I am <a href="https://t.co/Y4fMwYy9Fr">pic.twitter.com/Y4fMwYy9Fr</a></p>
— Megan⁷ (@megz_cat) <a href="https://twitter.com/megz_cat/status/1352070320493129729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The <a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a> follows <a href="https://twitter.com/BTS_twt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BTS_twt</a> 😍🙌🏽💜 I love it! Kamala Harris has great taste <a href="https://t.co/2qHMaf1rPz">pic.twitter.com/2qHMaf1rPz</a></p>
— Kristian (@krissysingh59) <a href="https://twitter.com/krissysingh59/status/1351968658046611456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">imagine youre ticketing for a bts concert and u find out kamala harris gets soundcheck instead of you</p>
— nana (@jhscign) <a href="https://twitter.com/jhscign/status/1351944275064451078?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p>Harris is not the only political leader to like K-pop. Former US president Barack Obama and his daughter Malia too are reportedly big fans of K-Pop and are known to be SHINee fans.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/oprah-to-mark-ruffalo-celebrities-welcome-joe-biden-kamala-harris-to-lead-america-in-new-direction-358195" hreflang="en">Oprah to Mark Ruffalo: Celebrities welcome Joe Biden-Kamala Harris to lead America in new direction</a></strong></p>

<p><strong>In Pics |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/kamala-harris-to-lady-gaga-women-opt-for-monochrome-colour-block-at-biden-harris-inauguration-358180" hreflang="en">Women opt for monochrome, colour-block at Biden-Harris inauguration</a></strong></p>

<p>Harris took oath on Wednesday and tweeted, "Ready to serve." She shared a video of her swearing-in and wrote, "It's an honour to be your Vice President."&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Joe Biden- Kamala Harris inaugural ceremony had performances by Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga and Garth Brooks.&nbsp;</p>


It was a historic moment on Wednesday as Kamala Harris became the first person of colour and first woman Vice President of the United States. The world witnessed Harris- a South-Asian and African woman, taking oath on the steps on Capitol Hill in Washington and collectively cheered her.

It was a historic moment on Wednesday as Kamala Harris became the first person of colour and first woman Vice President of the United States. The world witnessed Harris- a South-Asian and African woman, taking oath on the steps on Capitol Hill in Washington and collectively cheered her. But it seems the BTS Army had other reasons to celebrate. One Twitter user realised that Harris follows the popular K-pop band and instantly posted a screenshot of it. Kamala Harris opts for a formal purple dress and coat for inaugural ceremony Someone else shared a screenshot of Kamala Harris' Spotify playlist which features BTS hit track 'Boy With Luv'. And she's a fan!!!!! Kamala Harris' Playlist got BTS' BWL on it!!! Madam Vice President got excellent taste! pic.twitter.com/Bm5yXg2MeV — KPphoenix💜𐤀 (@PphoenixK) January 20, 2021 × The two screenshots obviously got the ARMY excited as they claimed Harris as one of their own. Here's how Twitter expressed excitement at discovering that Harris was part of the ARMY. The @VP follows @BTS_twt 😍🙌🏽💜 I love it! Kamala Harris has great taste pic.twitter.com/2qHMaf1rPz — Kristian (@krissysingh59) January 20, 2021 × I wonder which one of ya’ll is Madam Vice President Harris’ ARMY stan account.....#KamalaHarris 💜 @BTS_twt pic.twitter.com/E9qRJ8GbIE — ⟭⟬ ᴮᴱQueen of 7 Kings⁷⟬⟭(semi ia) (@LJKOT7s14) January 20, 2021 × VP Kamala Harris said let me start my Vice Presidency off RIGHT 💜 @BTS_twt pic.twitter.com/2M72MpCORs — joc⁷ • semi ia 🥺 (@bangtanslov3) January 20, 2021 × Yo yo yo @VP @KamalaHarris follows @BTS_twt I didn’t know I could fall deeper in love with her, but here I am pic.twitter.com/Y4fMwYy9Fr — Megan⁷ (@megz_cat) January 21, 2021 × The @VP follows @BTS_twt 😍🙌🏽💜 I love it! Kamala Harris has great taste pic.twitter.com/2qHMaf1rPz — Kristian (@krissysingh59) January 20, 2021 × imagine youre ticketing for a bts concert and u find out kamala harris gets soundcheck instead of you — nana (@jhscign) January 20, 2021 × Harris is not the only political leader to like K-pop. Former US president Barack Obama and his daughter Malia too are reportedly big fans of K-Pop and are known to be SHINee fans. Also read: Oprah to Mark Ruffalo: Celebrities welcome Joe Biden-Kamala Harris to lead America in new direction In Pics | Women opt for monochrome, colour-block at Biden-Harris inauguration Harris took oath on Wednesday and tweeted, "Ready to serve." She shared a video of her swearing-in and wrote, "It's an honour to be your Vice President." The Joe Biden- Kamala Harris inaugural ceremony had performances by Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga and Garth Brooks.

Twitter can't keep calm as it discovers Kamala Harris is a part of BTS ARMY

<p>Kamala Harris' family in India huddled around their television set to watch her inauguration as she created history on Wednesday. She was sworn in as the 49th vice-president of the nation -- the first female, Black and south Asian vice-president in US history.</p>

<p>The family though plans on being in the US in person in four years if she becomes America's number one.</p>

<p>Harris was born in California but her mother took her on several trips to India as a child, and her links to the country have set its 1.3 billion people abuzz.</p>

<p>"I wish she does such a damn good job, four years later she will automatically get a Democratic nomination and win the presidency," said Harris's uncle Gopalan Balachandran.</p>

<p>Balachandran could not be in Washington to see Harris sworn in on Wednesday because of the coronavirus pandemic.</p>

<p>"It would have been nice to have been there," the uncle told AFP, but he hopes to travel to the United States at a later date if he can secure a vaccination.</p>

<p>US media reports have spoken of a possible deal under which President Joe Biden, 78, will serve only one term, leaving Harris a clear run to the Democratic Party's candidacy in the next election.</p>

<p>Balachandran's daughter, Sharada Balachandran Orihuela, an English professor at the University of Maryland, was at the ceremony and was pictured with Harris.</p>

<p>Hours before the event, Harris, 56, posted a video on Twitter in which she credited the women who have inspired her, including her late mother Shyamala Gopalan, a breast cancer specialist who was born in India.</p>

<p>"She (Kamala) did everything on her own. If anybody, her beacon was her mother," Balachandran said.</p>

<p>Celebrations for the inauguration were held in the family's ancestral village, Thulasendrapuram, in Tamil Nadu state, with firecrackers set off and people clapping and cheering as Harris took the oath.</p>

<p>Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Harris, calling her swearing-in a "historic occasion".&nbsp;</p>

<p>Modi said he was "looking forward to interacting with her to make India-USA relations more robust. The India-USA partnership is beneficial for our planet."</p>

<p><em><strong>(with inputs from AFP)</strong></em></p>


Kamala Harris' family in India huddled around their television set to watch her inauguration as she created history on Wednesday. She was sworn in as the 49th vice-president of the nation -- the first female, Black and south Asian vice-president in US history.

Kamala Harris' family in India huddled around their television set to watch her inauguration as she created history on Wednesday. She was sworn in as the 49th vice-president of the nation -- the first female, Black and south Asian vice-president in US history. The family though plans on being in the US in person in four years if she becomes America's number one. Harris was born in California but her mother took her on several trips to India as a child, and her links to the country have set its 1.3 billion people abuzz. "I wish she does such a damn good job, four years later she will automatically get a Democratic nomination and win the presidency," said Harris's uncle Gopalan Balachandran. Balachandran could not be in Washington to see Harris sworn in on Wednesday because of the coronavirus pandemic. "It would have been nice to have been there," the uncle told AFP, but he hopes to travel to the United States at a later date if he can secure a vaccination. US media reports have spoken of a possible deal under which President Joe Biden, 78, will serve only one term, leaving Harris a clear run to the Democratic Party's candidacy in the next election. Balachandran's daughter, Sharada Balachandran Orihuela, an English professor at the University of Maryland, was at the ceremony and was pictured with Harris. Hours before the event, Harris, 56, posted a video on Twitter in which she credited the women who have inspired her, including her late mother Shyamala Gopalan, a breast cancer specialist who was born in India. "She (Kamala) did everything on her own. If anybody, her beacon was her mother," Balachandran said. Celebrations for the inauguration were held in the family's ancestral village, Thulasendrapuram, in Tamil Nadu state, with firecrackers set off and people clapping and cheering as Harris took the oath. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Harris, calling her swearing-in a "historic occasion". Modi said he was "looking forward to interacting with her to make India-USA relations more robust. The India-USA partnership is beneficial for our planet." (with inputs from AFP)

Kamala Harris' Indian family is waiting for her to become president

<p>Joe Biden took office&nbsp;as the<strong> 46th president of the United States </strong>on Wednesday. At a scaled-back ceremony in Washington that was largely stripped of its usual pomp and circumstance, Biden assumed the helm of a country beset by deep political divides and battered by a raging coronavirus pandemic.</p>

<p>Biden, 78, has become the oldest <strong>US president in history. </strong>And this is only one of the many firsts the ceremony will boast of for generations to come.</p>

<p>For Biden, who long harboured presidential ambitions, the inauguration was the zenith of a five-decade career in public service that included more than three decades in the US Senate and two terms as vice-president under former president Barack Obama.</p>

<p>Biden is the first and likely to be the only Silent Generation president. He&nbsp;is the first president to be born between 1928 and 1945. In other words, Biden is the first president to be born before the end of World War II in almost 30 years. Every president starting with Bill Clinton is a member of the Baby Boomer generation.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Every president from John F&nbsp;Kennedy to George HW&nbsp;Bush was born between 1901 and 1927 (i.e. the Greatest Generation).&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Biden succeeded where other members of the Silent Generation (e.g. Michael Dukakis, Walter Mondale and John McCain) had failed before him.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/joe-biden-sworn-in-as-46th-president-of-united-states-358118"><strong>Also read |&nbsp;Joe Biden sworn in as 46th President of United States</strong></a></p>

<p>The ceremony unfolded in front of a heavily fortified US Capitol, where a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building two weeks ago, enraged by his false claims that November’s election was stolen with millions of fraudulent votes. The violence prompted the Democratic-controlled US House of Representatives to impeach Trump last week for an unprecedented second time.</p>

<p>The ceremony was hence itself a herculean task to be accomplished. Thousands of National Guard troops were called into the city after the siege, which left five people dead and briefly forced lawmakers into hiding.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/harris-inauguration-news-kamala-harris-breaks-barriers-as-americas-first-black-south-asian-woman-vice-president-358140"><strong>Also read |&nbsp;Kamala Harris breaks barriers as America's first Black, South Asian woman Vice President</strong></a></p>

<p>Instead of a throng of supporters, the National Mall was covered by nearly 200,000 flags and 56 pillars of light meant to represent people from US states and territories.</p>

<p>Biden, who had vowed to “restore the soul of America,” called for American unity at a time of crisis in his inaugural address. He possibly became the first president of the nation to mention racism and White supremacy in his inaugural address.</p>

<p>He said the United States must confront and defeat the rise of white supremacy and domestic extremism, adding, "I know the forces that divide us are deep and they are real. But I also know they are not new. Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal, and the harsh ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonisation have long torn us apart."</p>

<p>The norm-defying Trump flouted one last convention on his way out of the White House when he refused to meet with Biden or attend his successor’s inauguration, breaking with a political tradition seen as affirming the peaceful transfer of power.</p>

<p>Trump, who never conceded the November 3 election, did not mention Biden by name in his final remarks as president on Wednesday morning, when he touted his administration’s record and promised to be back “in some form.” He then boarded Air Force One for the last time and flew to his Mar-a-Lago retreat in Florida.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/a-day-of-many-firsts-highlights-from-us-presidential-inauguration-358179"><strong>A day of many firsts: Highlights from US presidential inauguration</strong></a></p>

<p>Vice-President Mike Pence, former US presidents George W Bush, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, and both McCarthy and McConnell all however attended Biden’s inauguration ceremony.</p>

<p>President Joe Biden took a moment to jog over to a press area, while he was walking to the White House, and fist bumped a member of the press, according to CNN. "Keep doing what you're doing," Biden said.</p>

<p>Biden's running mate, Kamala Harris, the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, became the first Black person, first woman and first Asian American to serve as vice-president after she was sworn in by US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the court’s first Latina member.</p>

<p>A US senator from California the past four years, Harris has shattered many a glass ceiling. She served as San Francisco’s first female district attorney and was California’s first woman of color to be elected attorney general.</p>

<p>As the Senate’s only Black woman, Harris emerged as a leading voice on racial justice and police reform after Minneapolis police killed African-American man George Floyd in May. She marched with protesters on the streets of Washington and won over some liberal skeptics.</p>

<p>There are obvious differences between Biden and Harris -- when it comes to race and gender, but it’s really worth thinking how similar their journeys have been.</p>

<p>Biden has waited forever for this moment. He first ran for president more than 30 years ago. He was first elected to the Senate nearly 50 years ago.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Harris’ trek to the vice presidency was much shorter in political life. But her scale of achievement has been no less.</p>

<p>Usually, presidents choose vice-presidents who have more experience than they do. But Biden chose a younger, Black woman.</p>

<p>Asked on the CBS programme “60 Minutes” last year why, given Biden’s age, he believed Harris would be ready to step into the presidency if something happened to him, Biden rapidly fired off five reasons.</p>

<p>“Number one, her values. Number two, she is smart as a devil, and number three, she has a backbone like a ramrod. Number four, she is really principled. And number five, she has had significant experience in the largest state in the union in running the justice department that’s only second in size to the United States Justice Department. And obviously, I hope that never becomes a question,” Biden said.</p>

<p>Biden takes office at a time of deep national unease, with the country facing what his advisers have described as four compounding crises: the pandemic, the economic downtown, climate change and racial inequality. He has promised immediate action, including a raft of executive orders on his first day in office.</p>

<p>Biden will waste little time trying to turn the page on the Trump era, signing 15 executive actions on Wednesday on issues ranging from the pandemic to the economy to climate change.</p>

<p>The orders include mandating masks on federal property, rejoining the Paris climate accord and ending Trump’s travel ban on some Muslim-majority countries.</p>


Joe Biden took office as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday. At a scaled-back ceremony in Washington that was largely stripped of its usual pomp and circumstance, Biden assumed the helm of a country beset by deep political divides and battered by a raging coronavirus pandemic.

Joe Biden took office as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday. At a scaled-back ceremony in Washington that was largely stripped of its usual pomp and circumstance, Biden assumed the helm of a country beset by deep political divides and battered by a raging coronavirus pandemic. Biden, 78, has become the oldest US president in history. And this is only one of the many firsts the ceremony will boast of for generations to come. For Biden, who long harboured presidential ambitions, the inauguration was the zenith of a five-decade career in public service that included more than three decades in the US Senate and two terms as vice-president under former president Barack Obama. Biden is the first and likely to be the only Silent Generation president. He is the first president to be born between 1928 and 1945. In other words, Biden is the first president to be born before the end of World War II in almost 30 years. Every president starting with Bill Clinton is a member of the Baby Boomer generation. Every president from John F Kennedy to George HW Bush was born between 1901 and 1927 (i.e. the Greatest Generation). Biden succeeded where other members of the Silent Generation (e.g. Michael Dukakis, Walter Mondale and John McCain) had failed before him. Also read | Joe Biden sworn in as 46th President of United States The ceremony unfolded in front of a heavily fortified US Capitol, where a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building two weeks ago, enraged by his false claims that November’s election was stolen with millions of fraudulent votes. The violence prompted the Democratic-controlled US House of Representatives to impeach Trump last week for an unprecedented second time. The ceremony was hence itself a herculean task to be accomplished. Thousands of National Guard troops were called into the city after the siege, which left five people dead and briefly forced lawmakers into hiding. Also read | Kamala Harris breaks barriers as America's first Black, South Asian woman Vice President Instead of a throng of supporters, the National Mall was covered by nearly 200,000 flags and 56 pillars of light meant to represent people from US states and territories. Biden, who had vowed to “restore the soul of America,” called for American unity at a time of crisis in his inaugural address. He possibly became the first president of the nation to mention racism and White supremacy in his inaugural address. He said the United States must confront and defeat the rise of white supremacy and domestic extremism, adding, "I know the forces that divide us are deep and they are real. But I also know they are not new. Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal, and the harsh ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonisation have long torn us apart." The norm-defying Trump flouted one last convention on his way out of the White House when he refused to meet with Biden or attend his successor’s inauguration, breaking with a political tradition seen as affirming the peaceful transfer of power. Trump, who never conceded the November 3 election, did not mention Biden by name in his final remarks as president on Wednesday morning, when he touted his administration’s record and promised to be back “in some form.” He then boarded Air Force One for the last time and flew to his Mar-a-Lago retreat in Florida. A day of many firsts: Highlights from US presidential inauguration Vice-President Mike Pence, former US presidents George W Bush, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, and both McCarthy and McConnell all however attended Biden’s inauguration ceremony. President Joe Biden took a moment to jog over to a press area, while he was walking to the White House, and fist bumped a member of the press, according to CNN. "Keep doing what you're doing," Biden said. Biden's running mate, Kamala Harris, the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, became the first Black person, first woman and first Asian American to serve as vice-president after she was sworn in by US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the court’s first Latina member. A US senator from California the past four years, Harris has shattered many a glass ceiling. She served as San Francisco’s first female district attorney and was California’s first woman of color to be elected attorney general. As the Senate’s only Black woman, Harris emerged as a leading voice on racial justice and police reform after Minneapolis police killed African-American man George Floyd in May. She marched with protesters on the streets of Washington and won over some liberal skeptics. There are obvious differences between Biden and Harris -- when it comes to race and gender, but it’s really worth thinking how similar their journeys have been. Biden has waited forever for this moment. He first ran for president more than 30 years ago. He was first elected to the Senate nearly 50 years ago. Harris’ trek to the vice presidency was much shorter in political life. But her scale of achievement has been no less. Usually, presidents choose vice-presidents who have more experience than they do. But Biden chose a younger, Black woman. Asked on the CBS programme “60 Minutes” last year why, given Biden’s age, he believed Harris would be ready to step into the presidency if something happened to him, Biden rapidly fired off five reasons. “Number one, her values. Number two, she is smart as a devil, and number three, she has a backbone like a ramrod. Number four, she is really principled. And number five, she has had significant experience in the largest state in the union in running the justice department that’s only second in size to the United States Justice Department. And obviously, I hope that never becomes a question,” Biden said. Biden takes office at a time of deep national unease, with the country facing what his advisers have described as four compounding crises: the pandemic, the economic downtown, climate change and racial inequality. He has promised immediate action, including a raft of executive orders on his first day in office. Biden will waste little time trying to turn the page on the Trump era, signing 15 executive actions on Wednesday on issues ranging from the pandemic to the economy to climate change. The orders include mandating masks on federal property, rejoining the Paris climate accord and ending Trump’s travel ban on some Muslim-majority countries.

Why Biden inauguration was a landmark day in political history of US

Democrat Joe Biden was sworn in as president of the United States on Wednesday, vowing to end the ‘uncivil war’ in a deeply divided country reeling from a battered economy and a raging coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 400,000 Americans.

Democrat Joe Biden was sworn in as president of the United States on Wednesday, vowing to end the ‘uncivil war’ in a deeply divided country reeling from a battered economy and a raging coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 400,000 Americans. With the US Capitol encircled by thousands of armed troops two weeks after a mob laid siege to it, Biden took the oath of office administered by US Chief Justice John Roberts and became the oldest US president in history at age 78. Kamala Devi Harris made history at the stroke of noon when she became the first vice president of Indian descent. US Inauguration Day 2021 Live updates The daughter of Shyamala Gopalan became the first Indian American, the first woman, and the first African American vice president, putting her a heartbeat away from the presidency. The historic moment in the US met with enthusiasm in Hollywood's corridors. While the event saw the presence of Lady Gaga singing the National Anthem and Jennifer Lopez, serving a hopeful, peaceful future with her songs, many celebrities took to Twitter to mark the occasion. From Oprah to Mark Ruffalo and Mindy Kaling, here's how celebrities reacted on Biden-Harris inauguration at the Capitol Hill: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) × View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shonda Rhimes (@shondarhimes) × View this post on Instagram A post shared by Billy Porter (@theebillyporter) × View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kerry Washington (@kerrywashington) × View this post on Instagram A post shared by Oprah (@oprah) × View this post on Instagram A post shared by Eva Longoria Baston (@evalongoria) × He is finally gone. The nightmare has come to its fitful end. A bunch of trump elite criminals pardoned in the shroud of night. The Golden Toilet Presidency is over. A turd is a turd no matter where it lays. — Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) January 20, 2021 × The virtual event titled 'Celebrating America' will be hosted by legendary actor Tom Hanks and will witness performances from some of the leading artists of America. The event will see actors, musician and even TikTok stars participated in a long day of virtual programming.

Oprah to Mark Ruffalo: Celebrities welcome Joe Biden-Kamala Harris to lead America in new direction

Women opt for monochrome, colour-block at Biden-Harris inauguration

Immediately after being sworn in, US Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday, said that she is "ready to serve" the United States and the American people.

'Ready to serve': Kamala Harris after taking oath as America's first woman Vice President

<p>As a child, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. wrestled with words, grappling with a boyhood stutter. Years later, as a young politician, he could not stop saying them, quickly developing a reputation for long-winded remarks.</p>

<p>It was words that undercut his first two campaigns for the White House, with charges of plagiarism ending his 1988 bid and verbal missteps that hampered his 2008 outing from nearly the first moments. And it was his self-described penchant for being a “gaffe machine,” as he once put it, that would cement his vice-presidential nickname of “Uncle Joe,” the endearing relative who prompts the occasional wince.</p>

<p>Through a nearly half-century-long political career marked by personal tragedy and forged in national upheaval, Biden’s struggle with his own words has remained a central fact of his professional life and of the ambition he harboured for nearly as long: the White House.</p>

<p>Yet over the course of the 2020 campaign and especially in the two months since his victory, Biden, the nation’s 46th president, has transformed himself into a steady hand who chooses words with extraordinary restraint.</p>

<p>The self-described “scrappy kid from Scranton,” Pennsylvania, who called former President Donald Trump a “clown” and told him to “shut up” during their first debate, refused to take the political bait laid by Trump for weeks after the election with his attempts to overturn the results. Rather than get sucked into the Trumpian chaos, Biden focused on announcing his Cabinet and helping his party win two runoff races in Georgia. And with a second impeachment trial looming in the Senate, Biden, 78, has maintained his steadfast faith in the political center, positioning himself as a champion of all Americans and a deal-maker between the left and the right.</p>

<p>There is “more of a sense of a calm resolve now,” said Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., who has known Biden for decades and served as a co-chair of his campaign. “Even the words that he uses that are fiery are very intentional now. He is where he is supposed to be at this moment.”</p>

<p>The coming year will test Biden’s self-discipline, as he takes office amid urgency from his own party to make a decisive break with the Trump era by pushing through an aggressive policy agenda in the face of a Republican Party that is looking to come together around a new opponent. Biden and his aides are staking much on his ability to find the right words to restore America’s reputation, win bipartisan support in Congress and unite an anxious nation.</p>

<p>Much of Biden’s inaugural address Wednesday centered on calling the country to come together in the midst of many challenges, with some of his first words as president focused on issuing a plea to those who did not support his candidacy.</p>

<p>“Hear me out as we move forward. Take a measure of me and my heart,” he said. “Yet hear me clearly: Disagreement must not lead to disunion.”</p>

<p>Biden's ability to steer and stay the course calmly through turbulence is a testament, say friends and family, to both Biden’s unabashed optimism and his deep belief in the importance of American political norms and traditions. The man who came to Washington at age 30 as one of the youngest senators in history now enters the White House as the oldest president in history, with more experience in government and legislating to guide his path than any leader in decades.</p>

<p>“He’s been around so long that now that he is going to be the leader of this country, he knows he must conduct himself with presidential composure,” said Chuck Hagel, a longtime friend of Biden’s who served as defense secretary in the administration of former President Barack Obama and before that as a Republican senator from Nebraska. “He knows the only way we’ll be able to start to climb out of this hole is for the leader of the country to be seen as fair and open and not dwelling on the negative.”</p>

<p>That Biden finds himself in this role at all is an unlikely turn of events for a man whose political career seemed to have stalled or ended so many times, including when tragedy struck just after he won his first election to the Senate in 1972. But after 36 years in the chamber and eight years as vice president, he became a familiar figure in the country’s political consciousness. When Americans sought a way back to stability after four years of tumult, Biden felt like a comfort to many voters. As Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. and one of Biden’s most important supporters in the primary race, is fond of saying and repeated in an interview Tuesday, “We know Joe, and Joe knows us.”</p>

<p>To Biden’s friends and family, his success at winning the White House is proof that there is something fundamentally reassuring about his character — his loyalty, his empathy and his experience — that Americans want after four years of an unpredictable and chaotic administration. Even when he misspeaks, they argue, it underscores his authenticity, the journey of a man who moved through the darkness of the losses of his young wife, baby daughter and adult son to remain optimistic about politics, the country and his own destiny.</p>

<p>“He has a backbone of steel. He has a tremendous amount of empathy, and he seeks the better angels in humankind,” said Valerie Biden Owens, Biden’s sister and closest political adviser. “His word is his bond.”</p>

<p>Biden’s remarks during his presidential bid did not always set as decisive a tone. A campaign trail refrain that “words matter,” a line intended to be an attack on Trump, seemed at times like a reminder to the candidate. Often rambling and spotted with verbal tics — Bidenisms like an indignant “c’mon man” and a gentle “God love 'em” — his comments careened between dense policy proposals, praise for long-deceased political leaders, minor flubs and the occasional factual inaccuracy.</p>

<p>Republicans pounced on his rhetorical style, caricaturing Biden as too mentally frail for the job. Even some in his own party pointed to comments like his praise for segregationists and overly friendly interactions with women as a sign that Biden was out of step with the times.</p>

<p>Throughout a long campaign, a pandemic, a racial reckoning and a riot at the Capitol, Biden’s central message of moral and political restoration never wavered: Renew American decency. Return to good governance. And heal a divided nation. From snowy Iowa cornfields to socially distanced debate stages, the former vice president offered his “word as a Biden” that he could fulfill his campaign promises.</p>

<p>In the end, after a crowded primary packed with Democratic candidates pushing for structural transformation and a general election against a president determined to upend government, Americans selected a new president but rejected sweeping change.</p>

<p>While Biden has pivoted left with his party, he remains a centrist at his core, determined to unite a frayed body politic and persuade some Republicans to support his agenda. For much of the past half-century, Biden has found himself in the literal middle of American politics: in the central seat on the Judiciary Committee, in the center of policy debates in the Obama administration, at center stage in the presidential debates and now at the White House. He is a man both of and apart from Washington, deeply immersed in the mores, manners and maneuvering of the Capitol even as he spent decades commuting home to Delaware on Amtrak.</p>

<p>“He has the most unique insight into what motivates politicians and how they think than anyone since Lyndon Johnson,” said Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., who first met Biden as a young man. “He just spent so many decades engaging with politicians.”</p>

<p>More essentially, said Ted Kaufman, Biden’s longtime chief of staff and short-term successor in the Senate, Biden is a “healer” determined to bridge seemingly unbridgeable divides.</p>

<p>The political traits that would come to define Biden were present from the start. A Catholic son of Scranton and Wilmington, Delaware, he has long mythologized his childhood in stump speech tales of “Grandpop Finnegan” and virtuous sayings from his father, a car salesman who struggled to find work.</p>

<p>Even in the 1960s, Biden was something of an institutionalist in a blow-it-up generation. In penny loafers and sports coats, he rambled around the University of Delaware and Syracuse University College of Law, a middling student with little connection to the civil rights movement and the other social activism of the time. He received five student draft deferments during the Vietnam War and was kept from service after a physical exam in 1968 because he had asthma as a teenager, according to his campaign.</p>

<p>“I’m not big on flak jackets and tie-dye shirts,” he told reporters in 1987, distinguishing himself from some politically minded contemporaries. “Other people marched. I ran for office.”</p>

<p>After marriage, graduation and a brief stint at a Wilmington law firm, Biden won a seat on the New Castle County Council. Shortly after his election, one of his colleagues quipped that Biden “was the only man he knew who could give an extemporaneous 15-minute speech on the underside of a blade of grass.” The local paper called him a “compulsive talker,” and his underdog race for the Senate in 1972 was labeled “Mr. Nice vs. Mr. Mouth.” Biden was, of course, the mouth.</p>

<p>He entered office just weeks after the death of his wife Neilia and daughter Naomi in a crash with a tractor-trailer. Reeling from the tragedy, Biden would make only a six-month commitment to the Senate, taking the oath of office from the hospital bedside of his two young sons. Mentored by Sen. Mike Mansfield, then the majority leader, he eventually found himself swept into the business of the body with a plum seat on the Foreign Relations Committee — an early move that would later cement his reputation as an expert in U.S. foreign policy.</p>

<p>In Washington, Mouth found much to discuss. A legendary profile by future celebrity biographer Kitty Kelley in 1974 featured Biden openly discussing dating, sex and his late wife. (Biden would later talk about that period in his life as a haze of rage and anger, saying he felt like a “sucker” for sharing so much.)</p>

<p>His personal life stabilized after his marriage to his second wife, Jill, and the birth of a fourth child, their daughter Ashley. But his political career continued along an uneven course.</p>

<p>Biden’s greatest early failure and biggest success intertwined in 1987: the humiliation of a failed presidential bid and his victory as the new chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee in stopping Robert Bork’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Biden announced his campaign was over during a break from the hearing, where his strategy focused on persuading Republicans to block President Ronald Reagan’s nominee.</p>

<p>Four years later, Biden would again make overtures to his Republican colleagues during Justice Clarence Thomas’ confirmation hearings, allowing harsh and invasive questioning of Anita Hill, the law professor who accused the nominee of sexual harassment. Biden would later express “regret” for the treatment she endured but insist he did not mistreat her.</p>

<p>“If you go back to what I said and didn’t say, I don’t think I treated her badly,” he said in an interview shortly after beginning his presidential bid in April 2019.</p>

<p>As he progressed through what would ultimately be six terms in the Senate, Biden became known for his willingness to reach across the aisle to craft legislation like the Violence Against Women Act and the 1994 crime bill and as a crucial voice in U.S. conflicts overseas. The Senate became his professional home, reinforcing his unshakable belief in the value of personal relationships — the power of his deal-making words — in the service of bipartisan compromise.</p>

<p>Another presidential bid in 2008 ended in failure, marked by impolitic comments like calling Obama, who was then one of his rivals in the primary, “articulate and bright and clean.” But his years on Capitol Hill and in foreign policy and his connection with white working-class voters later won him a place on Obama’s presidential ticket.</p>

<p>During the Obama administration, Biden settled into the role of elder statesman and experienced voice on foreign policy. He led negotiations with Sen. Mitch McConnell and congressional Republicans over the economic stimulus plan and budget deals. Still, some of his most memorable moments grew out of unsanctioned honesty — like breaking with the administration’s official position by saying in 2012 that he was “absolutely comfortable” with same-sex marriage.</p>

<p>In 2015, Biden mulled making a third bid for the White House, but the death of his son, Beau, from brain cancer that May was a devastating blow that Biden said left him emotionally unable to mount an effective campaign.</p>

<p>By the time Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a surprise ceremony at the end of his second term, praising his vice president as a “lion of American history,” the event seemed to mark a tearful end to Biden’s political ambitions.</p>

<p>In the end, it was that faith in his own character and experience that persuaded Biden to make a third run at the White House. Five months before announcing his bid with a 3 1/2-minute video casting the election as a national emergency, Biden described himself as the “most qualified person” for the job. When confronted by a moderator with a list of his possible political liabilities, he dismissed them all as minor issues compared with the huge problems faced by the country.</p>

<p>“I am a gaffe machine, but my God, what a wonderful thing compared to a guy who can’t tell the truth,” he said during a stop on his book tour in 2018. “The question is, what kind of nation are we becoming?”</p>

<p>That sense of history was not lost on Biden on Tuesday when he made an emotional goodbye to his home state. With remarks recalling the national unrest before his Senate victory in 1972, his trip to Washington for his 2009 inauguration as vice president and memories of his deceased son, Biden teared up before even uttering a sentence.</p>

<p>“I’ll always be a proud son of Delaware,” he said, choking up as he drew on a phrase from James Joyce and the tears began to flow. “Excuse the emotion, but when I die, Delaware will be written on my heart.”</p>

<p>Presidents rarely utter such pointed words about their own mortality. But the moment was classic Biden, sharing his pain as he sought to connect with others.</p>

<p>The next president wiped his eyes once more and headed to Washington.</p>


As a child, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. wrestled with words, grappling with a boyhood stutter. Years later, as a young politician, he could not stop saying them, quickly developing a reputation for long-winded remarks.

As a child, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. wrestled with words, grappling with a boyhood stutter. Years later, as a young politician, he could not stop saying them, quickly developing a reputation for long-winded remarks. It was words that undercut his first two campaigns for the White House, with charges of plagiarism ending his 1988 bid and verbal missteps that hampered his 2008 outing from nearly the first moments. And it was his self-described penchant for being a “gaffe machine,” as he once put it, that would cement his vice-presidential nickname of “Uncle Joe,” the endearing relative who prompts the occasional wince. Through a nearly half-century-long political career marked by personal tragedy and forged in national upheaval, Biden’s struggle with his own words has remained a central fact of his professional life and of the ambition he harboured for nearly as long: the White House. Yet over the course of the 2020 campaign and especially in the two months since his victory, Biden, the nation’s 46th president, has transformed himself into a steady hand who chooses words with extraordinary restraint. The self-described “scrappy kid from Scranton,” Pennsylvania, who called former President Donald Trump a “clown” and told him to “shut up” during their first debate, refused to take the political bait laid by Trump for weeks after the election with his attempts to overturn the results. Rather than get sucked into the Trumpian chaos, Biden focused on announcing his Cabinet and helping his party win two runoff races in Georgia. And with a second impeachment trial looming in the Senate, Biden, 78, has maintained his steadfast faith in the political center, positioning himself as a champion of all Americans and a deal-maker between the left and the right. There is “more of a sense of a calm resolve now,” said Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., who has known Biden for decades and served as a co-chair of his campaign. “Even the words that he uses that are fiery are very intentional now. He is where he is supposed to be at this moment.” The coming year will test Biden’s self-discipline, as he takes office amid urgency from his own party to make a decisive break with the Trump era by pushing through an aggressive policy agenda in the face of a Republican Party that is looking to come together around a new opponent. Biden and his aides are staking much on his ability to find the right words to restore America’s reputation, win bipartisan support in Congress and unite an anxious nation. Much of Biden’s inaugural address Wednesday centered on calling the country to come together in the midst of many challenges, with some of his first words as president focused on issuing a plea to those who did not support his candidacy. “Hear me out as we move forward. Take a measure of me and my heart,” he said. “Yet hear me clearly: Disagreement must not lead to disunion.” Biden's ability to steer and stay the course calmly through turbulence is a testament, say friends and family, to both Biden’s unabashed optimism and his deep belief in the importance of American political norms and traditions. The man who came to Washington at age 30 as one of the youngest senators in history now enters the White House as the oldest president in history, with more experience in government and legislating to guide his path than any leader in decades. “He’s been around so long that now that he is going to be the leader of this country, he knows he must conduct himself with presidential composure,” said Chuck Hagel, a longtime friend of Biden’s who served as defense secretary in the administration of former President Barack Obama and before that as a Republican senator from Nebraska. “He knows the only way we’ll be able to start to climb out of this hole is for the leader of the country to be seen as fair and open and not dwelling on the negative.” That Biden finds himself in this role at all is an unlikely turn of events for a man whose political career seemed to have stalled or ended so many times, including when tragedy struck just after he won his first election to the Senate in 1972. But after 36 years in the chamber and eight years as vice president, he became a familiar figure in the country’s political consciousness. When Americans sought a way back to stability after four years of tumult, Biden felt like a comfort to many voters. As Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. and one of Biden’s most important supporters in the primary race, is fond of saying and repeated in an interview Tuesday, “We know Joe, and Joe knows us.” To Biden’s friends and family, his success at winning the White House is proof that there is something fundamentally reassuring about his character — his loyalty, his empathy and his experience — that Americans want after four years of an unpredictable and chaotic administration. Even when he misspeaks, they argue, it underscores his authenticity, the journey of a man who moved through the darkness of the losses of his young wife, baby daughter and adult son to remain optimistic about politics, the country and his own destiny. “He has a backbone of steel. He has a tremendous amount of empathy, and he seeks the better angels in humankind,” said Valerie Biden Owens, Biden’s sister and closest political adviser. “His word is his bond.” Biden’s remarks during his presidential bid did not always set as decisive a tone. A campaign trail refrain that “words matter,” a line intended to be an attack on Trump, seemed at times like a reminder to the candidate. Often rambling and spotted with verbal tics — Bidenisms like an indignant “c’mon man” and a gentle “God love 'em” — his comments careened between dense policy proposals, praise for long-deceased political leaders, minor flubs and the occasional factual inaccuracy. Republicans pounced on his rhetorical style, caricaturing Biden as too mentally frail for the job. Even some in his own party pointed to comments like his praise for segregationists and overly friendly interactions with women as a sign that Biden was out of step with the times. Throughout a long campaign, a pandemic, a racial reckoning and a riot at the Capitol, Biden’s central message of moral and political restoration never wavered: Renew American decency. Return to good governance. And heal a divided nation. From snowy Iowa cornfields to socially distanced debate stages, the former vice president offered his “word as a Biden” that he could fulfill his campaign promises. In the end, after a crowded primary packed with Democratic candidates pushing for structural transformation and a general election against a president determined to upend government, Americans selected a new president but rejected sweeping change. While Biden has pivoted left with his party, he remains a centrist at his core, determined to unite a frayed body politic and persuade some Republicans to support his agenda. For much of the past half-century, Biden has found himself in the literal middle of American politics: in the central seat on the Judiciary Committee, in the center of policy debates in the Obama administration, at center stage in the presidential debates and now at the White House. He is a man both of and apart from Washington, deeply immersed in the mores, manners and maneuvering of the Capitol even as he spent decades commuting home to Delaware on Amtrak. “He has the most unique insight into what motivates politicians and how they think than anyone since Lyndon Johnson,” said Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., who first met Biden as a young man. “He just spent so many decades engaging with politicians.” More essentially, said Ted Kaufman, Biden’s longtime chief of staff and short-term successor in the Senate, Biden is a “healer” determined to bridge seemingly unbridgeable divides. The political traits that would come to define Biden were present from the start. A Catholic son of Scranton and Wilmington, Delaware, he has long mythologized his childhood in stump speech tales of “Grandpop Finnegan” and virtuous sayings from his father, a car salesman who struggled to find work. Even in the 1960s, Biden was something of an institutionalist in a blow-it-up generation. In penny loafers and sports coats, he rambled around the University of Delaware and Syracuse University College of Law, a middling student with little connection to the civil rights movement and the other social activism of the time. He received five student draft deferments during the Vietnam War and was kept from service after a physical exam in 1968 because he had asthma as a teenager, according to his campaign. “I’m not big on flak jackets and tie-dye shirts,” he told reporters in 1987, distinguishing himself from some politically minded contemporaries. “Other people marched. I ran for office.” After marriage, graduation and a brief stint at a Wilmington law firm, Biden won a seat on the New Castle County Council. Shortly after his election, one of his colleagues quipped that Biden “was the only man he knew who could give an extemporaneous 15-minute speech on the underside of a blade of grass.” The local paper called him a “compulsive talker,” and his underdog race for the Senate in 1972 was labeled “Mr. Nice vs. Mr. Mouth.” Biden was, of course, the mouth. He entered office just weeks after the death of his wife Neilia and daughter Naomi in a crash with a tractor-trailer. Reeling from the tragedy, Biden would make only a six-month commitment to the Senate, taking the oath of office from the hospital bedside of his two young sons. Mentored by Sen. Mike Mansfield, then the majority leader, he eventually found himself swept into the business of the body with a plum seat on the Foreign Relations Committee — an early move that would later cement his reputation as an expert in U.S. foreign policy. In Washington, Mouth found much to discuss. A legendary profile by future celebrity biographer Kitty Kelley in 1974 featured Biden openly discussing dating, sex and his late wife. (Biden would later talk about that period in his life as a haze of rage and anger, saying he felt like a “sucker” for sharing so much.) His personal life stabilized after his marriage to his second wife, Jill, and the birth of a fourth child, their daughter Ashley. But his political career continued along an uneven course. Biden’s greatest early failure and biggest success intertwined in 1987: the humiliation of a failed presidential bid and his victory as the new chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee in stopping Robert Bork’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Biden announced his campaign was over during a break from the hearing, where his strategy focused on persuading Republicans to block President Ronald Reagan’s nominee. Four years later, Biden would again make overtures to his Republican colleagues during Justice Clarence Thomas’ confirmation hearings, allowing harsh and invasive questioning of Anita Hill, the law professor who accused the nominee of sexual harassment. Biden would later express “regret” for the treatment she endured but insist he did not mistreat her. “If you go back to what I said and didn’t say, I don’t think I treated her badly,” he said in an interview shortly after beginning his presidential bid in April 2019. As he progressed through what would ultimately be six terms in the Senate, Biden became known for his willingness to reach across the aisle to craft legislation like the Violence Against Women Act and the 1994 crime bill and as a crucial voice in U.S. conflicts overseas. The Senate became his professional home, reinforcing his unshakable belief in the value of personal relationships — the power of his deal-making words — in the service of bipartisan compromise. Another presidential bid in 2008 ended in failure, marked by impolitic comments like calling Obama, who was then one of his rivals in the primary, “articulate and bright and clean.” But his years on Capitol Hill and in foreign policy and his connection with white working-class voters later won him a place on Obama’s presidential ticket. During the Obama administration, Biden settled into the role of elder statesman and experienced voice on foreign policy. He led negotiations with Sen. Mitch McConnell and congressional Republicans over the economic stimulus plan and budget deals. Still, some of his most memorable moments grew out of unsanctioned honesty — like breaking with the administration’s official position by saying in 2012 that he was “absolutely comfortable” with same-sex marriage. In 2015, Biden mulled making a third bid for the White House, but the death of his son, Beau, from brain cancer that May was a devastating blow that Biden said left him emotionally unable to mount an effective campaign. By the time Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a surprise ceremony at the end of his second term, praising his vice president as a “lion of American history,” the event seemed to mark a tearful end to Biden’s political ambitions. In the end, it was that faith in his own character and experience that persuaded Biden to make a third run at the White House. Five months before announcing his bid with a 3 1/2-minute video casting the election as a national emergency, Biden described himself as the “most qualified person” for the job. When confronted by a moderator with a list of his possible political liabilities, he dismissed them all as minor issues compared with the huge problems faced by the country. “I am a gaffe machine, but my God, what a wonderful thing compared to a guy who can’t tell the truth,” he said during a stop on his book tour in 2018. “The question is, what kind of nation are we becoming?” That sense of history was not lost on Biden on Tuesday when he made an emotional goodbye to his home state. With remarks recalling the national unrest before his Senate victory in 1972, his trip to Washington for his 2009 inauguration as vice president and memories of his deceased son, Biden teared up before even uttering a sentence. “I’ll always be a proud son of Delaware,” he said, choking up as he drew on a phrase from James Joyce and the tears began to flow. “Excuse the emotion, but when I die, Delaware will be written on my heart.” Presidents rarely utter such pointed words about their own mortality. But the moment was classic Biden, sharing his pain as he sought to connect with others. The next president wiped his eyes once more and headed to Washington.

How Joe Biden became a steady hand amid so much chaos

Here is a guide on what else to expect when Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris begin to implement their foreign-policy agenda.

What's Joe Biden's foreign-policy for China?

<p>Following severe backlash over its February cover image featuring Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris, Vogue magazine has decided to publish a limited print edition with a new image of Harris.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
The limited edition of the February issue will feature an image of Harris which was earlier part of the digital cover. The edition will be published after Harris is sworn in as the Vice President of US on Wednesday.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Kamala Harris is the first person of Black and south Asian descent to have become the Vice President of the US. She is also the first woman to have reached the second-highest office in America. &nbsp;<br />
<br />
Vogue's original cover had Harris wearing Converse sneakers and casual clothes. The image had sparked outrage as many questioned the magazine's decision to choose the image over the more formal online cover. In the online image, Harris can be seen wearing a powder blue Michael Kors suit, standing in front of a gold background.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
The cover image had been criticised over its casual tone. Many felt it took away Kamala Harris enormous achievements and weightage of her position. The Washington Post fashion critic Robin Givhan wrote, “Vogue robbed Harris of her roses. A bit of awe would have served the magazine well in its cover decisions. Nothing about the cover said, ‘Wow.’ And sometimes, that’s all Black women want, an admiring and celebratory ‘wow’ over what they have accomplished.”<br />
<br />
There were others who also felt that Harris's skin tone was also tampered with.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
A Vogue spokesperson said, “In recognition of the enormous interest in the digital cover and in celebration of this historic moment, we will be publishing a limited number of special edition inauguration issues."<br />
<br />
Last week, Vogue's editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, explained that the original photo was chosen for its accessibility and approachability.<br />
Wintour also discussed the negative reaction to the photo.</p>

<p><img alt="Harris" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5a4623f1-b657-46b9-bb4d-0ca24224b4ba" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20-%202021-01-20T121602.834.jpg" /><br />
<br />
“Obviously we have heard and understood the reaction to the print cover,” Wintour told the New York Times, “and I just want to reiterate that it was absolutely not our intention to, in any way, diminish the importance of the vice president-elect's incredible victory."<br />
<br />
The cover made it to headlines as Kamala Harris reportedly expressed her displeasure over the choice of clothes and background that was selected. There were two options reportedly, one which had Kamala Harris in a powder blue suit with her arms crossed, looking like a boss while the second one was more casual in its approach as she sports an athleisure piece with sneakers that go with the background of pink and green curtains. Formal or casual? Kamala Harris magazine cover starts a debate on social media<br />
Reportedly, the US Vogue’s team and that of Kamala Harris had a disagreement over the choice between the two for the cover. While Kamala wanted the suit to make it to cover, it was after all the casual one that was picked for the cover of her spread.&nbsp;</p>


Following severe backlash over its February cover image featuring Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris, Vogue magazine has decided to publish a limited print edition with a new image of Harris.

Following severe backlash over its February cover image featuring Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris, Vogue magazine has decided to publish a limited print edition with a new image of Harris. The limited edition of the February issue will feature an image of Harris which was earlier part of the digital cover. The edition will be published after Harris is sworn in as the Vice President of US on Wednesday. Kamala Harris is the first person of Black and south Asian descent to have become the Vice President of the US. She is also the first woman to have reached the second-highest office in America. Vogue's original cover had Harris wearing Converse sneakers and casual clothes. The image had sparked outrage as many questioned the magazine's decision to choose the image over the more formal online cover. In the online image, Harris can be seen wearing a powder blue Michael Kors suit, standing in front of a gold background. The cover image had been criticised over its casual tone. Many felt it took away Kamala Harris enormous achievements and weightage of her position. The Washington Post fashion critic Robin Givhan wrote, “Vogue robbed Harris of her roses. A bit of awe would have served the magazine well in its cover decisions. Nothing about the cover said, ‘Wow.’ And sometimes, that’s all Black women want, an admiring and celebratory ‘wow’ over what they have accomplished.” There were others who also felt that Harris's skin tone was also tampered with. A Vogue spokesperson said, “In recognition of the enormous interest in the digital cover and in celebration of this historic moment, we will be publishing a limited number of special edition inauguration issues." Last week, Vogue's editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, explained that the original photo was chosen for its accessibility and approachability. Wintour also discussed the negative reaction to the photo. “Obviously we have heard and understood the reaction to the print cover,” Wintour told the New York Times, “and I just want to reiterate that it was absolutely not our intention to, in any way, diminish the importance of the vice president-elect's incredible victory." The cover made it to headlines as Kamala Harris reportedly expressed her displeasure over the choice of clothes and background that was selected. There were two options reportedly, one which had Kamala Harris in a powder blue suit with her arms crossed, looking like a boss while the second one was more casual in its approach as she sports an athleisure piece with sneakers that go with the background of pink and green curtains. Formal or casual? Kamala Harris magazine cover starts a debate on social media Reportedly, the US Vogue’s team and that of Kamala Harris had a disagreement over the choice between the two for the cover. While Kamala wanted the suit to make it to cover, it was after all the casual one that was picked for the cover of her spread.

Vogue to release new cover image of Kamala Harris after the original draws criticism 

<p>Not a sari, not a pantsuit, <strong>Kamala Harris</strong> has gone all formal for her oath-taking at the inauguration ceremony at the Capitol Hill.<br />
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<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-desis-on-twitter-wonder-if-kamala-harris-will-wear-a-sari-on-inauguration-day-or-gown-inspired-by-the-indian-dress-357931">Putting an end to the speculations about her oath-taking wardrobe</a>, Kamala Harris arrived at the Capitol Hill wearing a purple formal dress and matching coat with a detailed neckpiece complete with a brooch pin.&nbsp;President-elect Joe Biden and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff are both dressed in Ralph Lauren suits.<br />
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Harris is wearing Christopher John Rogers and Sergio Hudson, according to chatter filtering from her aides. Rogers, a New York City resident, is a young Black designer, from Baton Rouge. Sergio is a Black designer from South Carolina. Both Rogers and Hudson have dressed former First Lady Michelle Obama and Beyonce.<br />
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<img alt="Kamala Harris" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="99e38207-a046-4734-b8ea-f12d6a391a72" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/kamala.JPG" /><br />
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<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-vogue-to-release-new-cover-image-of-kamala-harris-after-the-original-draws-criticism-357887">Vogue to release new cover of Kamala Harris after the original draws criticism</a><br />
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What will<strong> US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris</strong> wear on Inauguration Day as she officially resumes duties as one of the world’s most powerful politicians has been on almost every fashionista’s mind. On January 20, 2021, when she takes over the office as the <strong>Vice President of the United States</strong>, many in India hoped to see her in&nbsp;an Indian saree to celebrate the culture she hails from.&nbsp;<br />
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<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-inauguration-day-2021-live-updates-trump-pardons-73-people-including-ex-aide-steve-bannon-357872"><strong>US Inauguration Day 2021 Live updates</strong></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>&nbsp;is the daughter of an Indian born mother and Jamaican-American father. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan is a biomedical scientist who migrated from India to the US. Her Jamaican-American father Donald Harris is an economist and professor emeritus at Stanford University.<br />
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<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lady-gaga-tom-hanks-justin-timberlake-the-complete-celebrity-line-up-at-joe-bidens-inaugural-ceremony-357942">Lady Gaga, Tom Hanks, Justin Timberlake: The complete celebrity line up at Joe Biden's inaugural ceremony&nbsp;</a><br />
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Known for her power dressing in a pantsuit, Kamala has kept it to the formal code in a dress this time. First Lady, Jill Biden, has opted for a teal dress and a turquoise-teal quote for her husband, Joe Biden's swearing-in as the 46th president of the United States.&nbsp;</p>


Not a sari, not a pantsuit, Kamala Harris has gone all formal for her oath-taking at the inauguration ceremony at the Capitol Hill. Putting an end to the speculations about her oath-taking wardrobe, Kamala Harris arrived at the Capitol Hill wearing a purple formal dress and matching coat with a detailed neckpiece complete with a brooch pin.

Not a sari, not a pantsuit, Kamala Harris has gone all formal for her oath-taking at the inauguration ceremony at the Capitol Hill. Putting an end to the speculations about her oath-taking wardrobe, Kamala Harris arrived at the Capitol Hill wearing a purple formal dress and matching coat with a detailed neckpiece complete with a brooch pin. President-elect Joe Biden and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff are both dressed in Ralph Lauren suits. Harris is wearing Christopher John Rogers and Sergio Hudson, according to chatter filtering from her aides. Rogers, a New York City resident, is a young Black designer, from Baton Rouge. Sergio is a Black designer from South Carolina. Both Rogers and Hudson have dressed former First Lady Michelle Obama and Beyonce. Vogue to release new cover of Kamala Harris after the original draws criticism What will US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris wear on Inauguration Day as she officially resumes duties as one of the world’s most powerful politicians has been on almost every fashionista’s mind. On January 20, 2021, when she takes over the office as the Vice President of the United States, many in India hoped to see her in an Indian saree to celebrate the culture she hails from. US Inauguration Day 2021 Live updates Kamala Harris is the daughter of an Indian born mother and Jamaican-American father. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan is a biomedical scientist who migrated from India to the US. Her Jamaican-American father Donald Harris is an economist and professor emeritus at Stanford University. Lady Gaga, Tom Hanks, Justin Timberlake: The complete celebrity line up at Joe Biden's inaugural ceremony Known for her power dressing in a pantsuit, Kamala has kept it to the formal code in a dress this time. First Lady, Jill Biden, has opted for a teal dress and a turquoise-teal quote for her husband, Joe Biden's swearing-in as the 46th president of the United States.

Kamala Harris opts for a formal purple dress and coat for inaugural ceremony

<p><strong>President-elect Joe Biden</strong> is due to be inaugurated as 46th President of United States of America. Incumbent US President Donald Trump will give the ceremony a miss but it will be a grand affair nonetheless. Donald Trump's term was marred with controversies. He became the only <strong>US President </strong>in history to be impeached twice. With Joe Biden, the Oval Office in the White House will see a veteran statesman take on the top job in the US. In the run-up to inauguration day, USA witnessed unprecedented scenes as Trump supporters laid siege to US Capitol Building. Trump hasn't yet budged from his claims that US Presidential Election 2020 was rigged. But he suffered defeat after defeat in US courts including US Supreme Court. As<strong> Joe Biden becomes President</strong>, Kamala Harris will become first woman to become US Vice-President</p>

<p>All eyes are on the ceremony that will see Joe Biden take reins of the most powerful nation on the planet.</p>

<p>WION brings you second by second update of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-inauguration-day-2021-live-updates-joe-biden-oath-ceremony-today-donald-trump-leave-white-house-vice-president-elect-kamala-harris-us-president-joe-biden-swearing-in-ceremony-oath-day-357872/amp"><strong>Joe Biden's oath-taking ceremony.</strong></a></p>

<p>Here is the LIVE telecast on Twitter</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LIVE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LIVE</a> | Watch WION's non-stop coverage of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/InaugurationDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#InaugurationDay</a> event as US President-elect <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoeBiden</a> and VP-elect <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KamalaHarris</a> take oath as the new leaders of the world's oldest democracy<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Inauguration2021?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Inauguration2021</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UnitedStates?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UnitedStates</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BidenHarrisInauguration?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BidenHarrisInauguration</a> <a href="https://t.co/CjCIdZ9PVq">https://t.co/CjCIdZ9PVq</a></p>
— WION (@WIONews) <a href="https://twitter.com/WIONews/status/1351867455300243461?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p>If you want to watch the LIVE Telecast on WION website, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv">here is the link</a></p>

<p>If you want watch Joe Biden inauguration on Youtube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41pTX_FPMD0">follow this link</a></p>

<p>You can catch Joe Biden inauguration <a href="https://fb.watch/37XvYsTiaz/">LIVE on Facebook here</a></p>

<p><strong>Joe Biden will be 46th President of United States of America</strong>. He has served as a vice-president under former US President Barack Obama. Joe Biden has ambitious plans and he will get to work on the very first day he takes office. On his first day, he will take some decisions that will overturn those taken by Donald Trump. These include halting construction of a wall on US-Mexico border, revoking ban on US travel for citizens of six Muslim-majority countries and more.</p>


President-elect Joe Biden is due to be inaugurated as 46th President of United States of America. Incumbent US President Donald Trump will give the ceremony a miss but it will be a grand affair nonetheless.

President-elect Joe Biden is due to be inaugurated as 46th President of United States of America. Incumbent US President Donald Trump will give the ceremony a miss but it will be a grand affair nonetheless. Donald Trump's term was marred with controversies. He became the only US President in history to be impeached twice. With Joe Biden, the Oval Office in the White House will see a veteran statesman take on the top job in the US. In the run-up to inauguration day, USA witnessed unprecedented scenes as Trump supporters laid siege to US Capitol Building. Trump hasn't yet budged from his claims that US Presidential Election 2020 was rigged. But he suffered defeat after defeat in US courts including US Supreme Court. As Joe Biden becomes President, Kamala Harris will become first woman to become US Vice-President All eyes are on the ceremony that will see Joe Biden take reins of the most powerful nation on the planet. WION brings you second by second update of Joe Biden's oath-taking ceremony. Here is the LIVE telecast on Twitter #LIVE | Watch WION's non-stop coverage of the #InaugurationDay event as US President-elect @JoeBiden and VP-elect @KamalaHarris take oath as the new leaders of the world's oldest democracy#Inauguration2021 #UnitedStates #BidenHarrisInauguration https://t.co/CjCIdZ9PVq — WION (@WIONews) January 20, 2021 × If you want to watch the LIVE Telecast on WION website, here is the link If you want watch Joe Biden inauguration on Youtube follow this link You can catch Joe Biden inauguration LIVE on Facebook here Joe Biden will be 46th President of United States of America. He has served as a vice-president under former US President Barack Obama. Joe Biden has ambitious plans and he will get to work on the very first day he takes office. On his first day, he will take some decisions that will overturn those taken by Donald Trump. These include halting construction of a wall on US-Mexico border, revoking ban on US travel for citizens of six Muslim-majority countries and more.

Joe Biden Inauguration 2021: How to watch US oath-taking ceremony LIVE online

Meet the Bidens: A look at the America's new 'first family'

<p>In a sombre ceremony at&nbsp;Lincoln Memorial on Tuesday, President-elect Joe Biden&nbsp;honoured&nbsp;the 400,000 Americans lost to Covid-19 as he arrived in Washington on the eve of his inauguration.</p>

<p>The sundown commemoration came just hours before President Donald Trump was due to leave the White House and hand over a country in crisis. The ceremony, spearheaded by&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris from the base of the Lincoln Memorial, marked the federal government's first official nod to the staggering death toll from the pandemic.</p>

<p>Biden, who himself has suffered deep personal tragedy of his own and who is known for his public displays of emotion, has stressed the need to unite the country after President Donald Trump's chaotic four years in office.</p>

<p>"We must remember. It's hard sometimes to remember, but that's how we heal. It's important to do that as a nation,"&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;said in brief remarks to kick off a tribute that was to include observances in cities across the country.</p>

<p><strong>Also see:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/washington-prepares-for-bidens-inauguration-with-final-dress-rehearsals-357790" hreflang="en">Washington prepares for Biden's inauguration with final dress rehearsals</a></strong></p>

<p>Inauguration eve is normally a time of massive crowds gathering in the capital, but Biden, joined by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, were almost alone on the empty National Mall due to Covid restrictions and heightened security after the deadly riot at the US Capitol.</p>

<p>As darkness fell over the nation's capital, 400 electric lamps lining the sides of the Reflecting Pool were illuminated to honour the 400,000 lives lost, followed by gospel singer Yolanda Adams' performance of the song "Hallelujah," then a moment of silence in memory of the COVID-19 dead.</p>

<p>"Though we may be physically separated, we the American people are united in spirit," Harris said separately.</p>

<p>A hospital nurse from Michigan, Lori Marie Key, sang "Amazing Grace" before&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;took to the podium. About 4 miles (6.5 km) from where&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;appeared, the bells of the National Cathedral were tolled 400 times after he spoke.</p>

<p>On the Mall's grassy expanse, some 200,000 flags have been planted to represent the absent crowds at the inauguration ceremony on Wednesday.</p>

<p>Trump, who has not appeared in public for a week, broke days of silence with a pre-recorded farewell video address.</p>

<p>For the first time, he asked Americans to "pray" for the success of the incoming administration, a change from months spent persuading his Republican followers that the Democrats cheated their way to election victory.</p>

<p>The United States surpassed 24 million COVID-19 infections and 400,000 lives lost from the virus on Tuesday. The country has recorded more than 200,000 new cases and 3,220 deaths on average over the last seven days.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Among the other landmarks participating in the lighting ceremony were the Empire State Building in New York City and the Space Needle in Seattle,&nbsp;Biden's inaugural committee said in a statement. The committee also said it was encouraging Americans to light candles in their windows and churches to ring their bells in a show of unity.</p>


In a sombre ceremony at Lincoln Memorial on Tuesday, President-elect Joe Biden honoured the 400,000 Americans lost to Covid-19 as he arrived in Washington on the eve of his inauguration.

In a sombre ceremony at Lincoln Memorial on Tuesday, President-elect Joe Biden honoured the 400,000 Americans lost to Covid-19 as he arrived in Washington on the eve of his inauguration. The sundown commemoration came just hours before President Donald Trump was due to leave the White House and hand over a country in crisis. The ceremony, spearheaded by Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris from the base of the Lincoln Memorial, marked the federal government's first official nod to the staggering death toll from the pandemic. Biden, who himself has suffered deep personal tragedy of his own and who is known for his public displays of emotion, has stressed the need to unite the country after President Donald Trump's chaotic four years in office. "We must remember. It's hard sometimes to remember, but that's how we heal. It's important to do that as a nation," Biden said in brief remarks to kick off a tribute that was to include observances in cities across the country. Also see: Washington prepares for Biden's inauguration with final dress rehearsals Inauguration eve is normally a time of massive crowds gathering in the capital, but Biden, joined by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, were almost alone on the empty National Mall due to Covid restrictions and heightened security after the deadly riot at the US Capitol. As darkness fell over the nation's capital, 400 electric lamps lining the sides of the Reflecting Pool were illuminated to honour the 400,000 lives lost, followed by gospel singer Yolanda Adams' performance of the song "Hallelujah," then a moment of silence in memory of the COVID-19 dead. "Though we may be physically separated, we the American people are united in spirit," Harris said separately. A hospital nurse from Michigan, Lori Marie Key, sang "Amazing Grace" before Biden took to the podium. About 4 miles (6.5 km) from where Biden appeared, the bells of the National Cathedral were tolled 400 times after he spoke. On the Mall's grassy expanse, some 200,000 flags have been planted to represent the absent crowds at the inauguration ceremony on Wednesday. Trump, who has not appeared in public for a week, broke days of silence with a pre-recorded farewell video address. For the first time, he asked Americans to "pray" for the success of the incoming administration, a change from months spent persuading his Republican followers that the Democrats cheated their way to election victory. The United States surpassed 24 million COVID-19 infections and 400,000 lives lost from the virus on Tuesday. The country has recorded more than 200,000 new cases and 3,220 deaths on average over the last seven days. Among the other landmarks participating in the lighting ceremony were the Empire State Building in New York City and the Space Needle in Seattle, Biden's inaugural committee said in a statement. The committee also said it was encouraging Americans to light candles in their windows and churches to ring their bells in a show of unity.

Joe Biden grieves America's COVID-19 victims on eve of inauguration

New Yorkers participated in a prayer for healing and a call for unity on the eve of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Passersby lit candles and prayed on the steps of the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in New York City on Tuesday (January 19).

NYC church lights candle for unity ahead of the Inauguration

<p>As America gears to welcome its 46th President, Joe Biden with a glittering ceremony, several stars will be part of the inaugural ceremony on Wednesday. A bevvy of stars of all stripes is set to participate in the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris including Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga and Tom Hanks.&nbsp;<br />
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The event will see actors, musician and even TikTok stars participated in a long day of virtual programming.&nbsp;<br />
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The virtual event titled 'Celebrating America' will be hosted by legendary actor Tom Hanks and will witness performances from some of the leading artists of America.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-inauguration-day-2021-live-updates-trump-pardons-73-people-including-ex-aide-steve-bannon-357872"><strong>US Inauguration Day 2021 Live updates</strong></a><br />
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Here's a full list of celebrities who will feature in Joe Biden-Kamala Harris' inaugural ceremony.&nbsp;<br />
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<strong>Lady Gaga</strong>- The 'Shallow' star will be singing the US National Anthem.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I pray tomorrow will be a day of peace for all Americans. A day for love, not hatred. A day for acceptance not fear. A day for dreaming of our future joy as a country. A dream that is non-violent, a dream that provides safety for our souls. Love, from the Capitol 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/fATHiJHCq0">pic.twitter.com/fATHiJHCq0</a></p>
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) <a href="https://twitter.com/ladygaga/status/1351640317515198465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Jennifer Lopez</strong>- The Pop diva is reportedly nervous about her performance, claimed boyfriend Alex Rodriguez.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">DC Bound ... ❤️🤍💙 <a href="https://t.co/JmuNX2gYmf">pic.twitter.com/JmuNX2gYmf</a></p>
— jlo (@JLo) <a href="https://twitter.com/JLo/status/1351591017363988481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Amanda Gorman</strong>- Gorman, the first US youth poet laureate, will be reading out one of her poems at the event.&nbsp;<br />
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<strong>Garth Brooks</strong>- The singer joked that he would be <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/country-singer-garth-brooks-jokes-at-being-the-only-republican-performing-at-joe-bidens-inauguration-357650">'the only Republican' attending the ceremony. </a>Brooks added that his performance would serve as a "statement of unity".</p>

<p><strong>Tom Hanks</strong>- The veteran actor will be hosting the star-studded TV event 'Celebrating America'.&nbsp;<br />
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<strong>Eva Longoria</strong>- She had already hosted the Democratic National Convention last year and now Longoria will introduce various segments throughout the 'Celebrating America' special.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Tonight, join myself and <a href="https://twitter.com/Lin_Manuel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Lin_Manuel</a> for the Latino Inaugural 2021. You can tune in at 9:30pm ET here <a href="https://t.co/JgGmGvPX6j">https://t.co/JgGmGvPX6j</a>. I hope you can join ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/4S8gUOxSdm">pic.twitter.com/4S8gUOxSdm</a></p>
— Eva Longoria Baston (@EvaLongoria) <a href="https://twitter.com/EvaLongoria/status/1351621737079734272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Kerry Washington</strong>- Washington too, will be presenting certain segments along with Longoria.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The first, but not the last.💕<br />
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A historic Inauguration day is upon us. Let’s celebrate the women, like Vice President Kamala Harris (will never get sick of saying that!!!!!!😍), who by their example and by their service, open the door wider for women everywhere. <a href="https://t.co/kXqbnkfgcN">pic.twitter.com/kXqbnkfgcN</a></p>
— kerry washington (@kerrywashington) <a href="https://twitter.com/kerrywashington/status/1351708601648254981?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Foo Fighters</strong>- The inaugural ceremony will see Foo Fighters performing.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Announced today, Foo Fighters will be joining the inauguration celebration for <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoeBiden</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KamalaHarris</a>. Tune in January 20th at 8:30pm ET. For more details on the event visit: <a href="https://t.co/U3JizoSGDC">https://t.co/U3JizoSGDC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Inauguration2021?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Inauguration2021</a> <a href="https://t.co/CsAMDx2jSB">pic.twitter.com/CsAMDx2jSB</a></p>
— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) <a href="https://twitter.com/foofighters/status/1350107155492311040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>John Legend</strong>- A vocal supporter of the Democrats, the musician will be performing at the opening ceremony.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Join me on January 20 at 8:30pm ET to celebrate the historic inauguration of <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoeBiden</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KamalaHarris</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Inauguration2021?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Inauguration2021</a> <a href="https://t.co/FaTgnKcyEe">https://t.co/FaTgnKcyEe</a> <a href="https://t.co/uF1VU6vqfC">pic.twitter.com/uF1VU6vqfC</a></p>
— John Legend (@johnlegend) <a href="https://twitter.com/johnlegend/status/1350134719808040960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Bruce Springsteen</strong>- Another Democrat support and a staunch Trump critic, Springsteen will be performing at the event.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bruce will join our next President and Vice President <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoeBiden</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KamalaHarris</a> for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Inauguration2021?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Inauguration2021</a>! Tune in Wednesday January 20 at 8:30pm ET for a night that celebrates our country's rich diversity and resilience. <a href="https://t.co/KbTpyEUkT3">https://t.co/KbTpyEUkT3</a></p>
— Bruce Springsteen (@springsteen) <a href="https://twitter.com/springsteen/status/1350055941866201090?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Demi Lovato</strong>- &nbsp;Lovato is likely to perform at the event.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I’m SO honored to announce that I will be joining <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoeBiden</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KamalaHarris</a> for their special event, “Celebrating America” on January 20th at 8:30pm ET/PT ❤️🤍💙 I was left speechless when I was asked to perform! Tune in with various tv networks &amp; live streaming services 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/YiYmQ43M51">pic.twitter.com/YiYmQ43M51</a></p>
— Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) <a href="https://twitter.com/ddlovato/status/1349363014080802818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Justin Timberlake</strong>- Justin Timberlake will be performing his new single &nbsp;'Better Days', which will also feature Ant Clemons.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">A few months ago <a href="https://twitter.com/AntClemons?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AntClemons</a> and I wrote BETTER DAYS. This song was our way of doing what little we could to encourage everyone to stay hopeful and to keep working towards a better future. I’m honored to announce we’ll be performing it for the Inauguration. <a href="https://t.co/aes5gXdEww">pic.twitter.com/aes5gXdEww</a></p>
— Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) <a href="https://twitter.com/jtimberlake/status/1349363968536694784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Jon Bon Jovi </strong>- The Bon Jovi frontman will perform for the 'Celebrating America' telecast.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I am very honored to be part of the Presidential Inauguration tomorrow alongside so many incredible people. Tune in at 8:30pm as we ring in the new Administration of <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoeBiden</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KamalaHarris</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Inauguration2021?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Inauguration2021</a> <a href="https://t.co/9RvANRYuEe">pic.twitter.com/9RvANRYuEe</a></p>
— Jon Bon Jovi (@jonbonjovi) <a href="https://twitter.com/jonbonjovi/status/1351620145958039553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p><br />
<strong>Lin-Manuel Miranda</strong>- 'Hamilton' mastermind Miranda will make his appearance in 'Celebrating America' special.<br />
<br />
<strong>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar</strong>- Lakers legend will be part of the ceremony.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I am proud to be joining <a href="https://twitter.com/BidenInaugural?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BidenInaugural</a> on January 20 for a night of celebrating America! Tune in at 8:30pm as we ring in the new Administration of President <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoeBiden</a> and Vice President <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KamalaHarris</a>.<a href="https://t.co/nbWRrInC2R">https://t.co/nbWRrInC2R</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/InaugurationDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#InaugurationDay</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Inauguration2021?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Inauguration2021</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BidenInaugural?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BidenInaugural</a> <a href="https://t.co/KbIEt6ICu3">pic.twitter.com/KbIEt6ICu3</a></p>
— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) <a href="https://twitter.com/kaj33/status/1350801272153116672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Tim McGraw and Tyler Hubbard-</strong> The country musicians will be performing their new duet, 'Undivided'.<br />
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<strong>Black Pumas</strong>- Yep, they are performing as well.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>DJ Cassidy and friends</strong>- For Wednesday’s virtual “Parade Across America” festivities, DJ Cassidy will link up with Earth, Wind &amp; Fire, Nile Rodgers, Kathy Sledge, the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, the Washington Chorus and the Triumph Baptist Church Choir.</p>

<p><strong>Keke Palmer</strong>- She will hosting a segment called 'Our White House: An Inaugural Celebration for Young Americans,' featuring incoming First Lady Jill Biden.</p>

<p><strong>Tony Goldwyn</strong>- Onscreen POTUS, Goldwyn will emcee Wednesday’s “Parade Across America” as the University of Delaware and Howard University drumlines escort Biden and Harris from 15th Street to the White House.</p>

<p><strong>Jon Stewart</strong>- The Late Night Show host will be part of the parade.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>New Radicals</strong>- The new rock band will be there at Biden's inaugural ceremony.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Allyson Felix, Nathan Chen and Katie Ledecky-</strong> Olympic sprinter Felix, figure skater Chen and swimmer Ledecky will be part of Wednesday’s parade.</p>

<p><strong>Andra Day</strong> - Singer Day will rise up to the task of performing during the parade, along with figure skater Kaitlyn Saunders.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Watch Andra Day perform at <a href="https://twitter.com/BidenInaugural?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BidenInaugural</a> tonight for a night of celebrating <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MLKDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MLKDay</a>. Tune in at 8pm ET to listen to inspiring artists, speakers and more: <a href="https://t.co/AUK8TsQi0k">https://t.co/AUK8TsQi0k</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Inauguration2021?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Inauguration2021</a> <a href="https://t.co/mdMWTg6hhB">pic.twitter.com/mdMWTg6hhB</a></p>
— Andra Day (@AndraDayMusic) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndraDayMusic/status/1351268532504281088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Kenny Ortega</strong>- &nbsp;Prolific director and choreographer Ortega will lead the 'Dance Across America' segment of the parade.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Katy Perry-</strong>&nbsp; Katy Perry will be <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/katy-perry-announces-her-presence-at-joe-bidens-primetime-inauguration-special-with-a-patriotic-picture-357973">performing at Joe Biden’s primetime inauguration special</a>, and she shared a 'patriotic' picture ahead of her performance.&nbsp;</p>


As America gears to welcome its 46th President, Joe Biden with a glittering ceremony, several stars will be part of the inaugural ceremony on Wednesday. A bevvy of stars of all stripes is set to participate in the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris including Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga and Tom Hanks.

As America gears to welcome its 46th President, Joe Biden with a glittering ceremony, several stars will be part of the inaugural ceremony on Wednesday. A bevvy of stars of all stripes is set to participate in the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris including Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga and Tom Hanks. The event will see actors, musician and even TikTok stars participated in a long day of virtual programming. The virtual event titled 'Celebrating America' will be hosted by legendary actor Tom Hanks and will witness performances from some of the leading artists of America. US Inauguration Day 2021 Live updates Here's a full list of celebrities who will feature in Joe Biden-Kamala Harris' inaugural ceremony. Lady Gaga- The 'Shallow' star will be singing the US National Anthem. I pray tomorrow will be a day of peace for all Americans. A day for love, not hatred. A day for acceptance not fear. A day for dreaming of our future joy as a country. A dream that is non-violent, a dream that provides safety for our souls. Love, from the Capitol 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/fATHiJHCq0 — Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) January 19, 2021 × Jennifer Lopez- The Pop diva is reportedly nervous about her performance, claimed boyfriend Alex Rodriguez. DC Bound ... ❤️🤍💙 pic.twitter.com/JmuNX2gYmf — jlo (@JLo) January 19, 2021 × Amanda Gorman- Gorman, the first US youth poet laureate, will be reading out one of her poems at the event. Garth Brooks- The singer joked that he would be 'the only Republican' attending the ceremony. Brooks added that his performance would serve as a "statement of unity". Tom Hanks- The veteran actor will be hosting the star-studded TV event 'Celebrating America'. Eva Longoria- She had already hosted the Democratic National Convention last year and now Longoria will introduce various segments throughout the 'Celebrating America' special. Tonight, join myself and @Lin_Manuel for the Latino Inaugural 2021. You can tune in at 9:30pm ET here https://t.co/JgGmGvPX6j. I hope you can join ❤️ pic.twitter.com/4S8gUOxSdm — Eva Longoria Baston (@EvaLongoria) January 19, 2021 × Kerry Washington- Washington too, will be presenting certain segments along with Longoria. The first, but not the last.💕 A historic Inauguration day is upon us. Let’s celebrate the women, like Vice President Kamala Harris (will never get sick of saying that!!!!!!😍), who by their example and by their service, open the door wider for women everywhere. pic.twitter.com/kXqbnkfgcN — kerry washington (@kerrywashington) January 20, 2021 × Foo Fighters- The inaugural ceremony will see Foo Fighters performing. Announced today, Foo Fighters will be joining the inauguration celebration for @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris. Tune in January 20th at 8:30pm ET. For more details on the event visit: https://t.co/U3JizoSGDC #Inauguration2021 pic.twitter.com/CsAMDx2jSB — Foo Fighters (@foofighters) January 15, 2021 × John Legend- A vocal supporter of the Democrats, the musician will be performing at the opening ceremony. Join me on January 20 at 8:30pm ET to celebrate the historic inauguration of @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris! #Inauguration2021 https://t.co/FaTgnKcyEe pic.twitter.com/uF1VU6vqfC — John Legend (@johnlegend) January 15, 2021 × Bruce Springsteen- Another Democrat support and a staunch Trump critic, Springsteen will be performing at the event. Bruce will join our next President and Vice President @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris for #Inauguration2021! Tune in Wednesday January 20 at 8:30pm ET for a night that celebrates our country's rich diversity and resilience. https://t.co/KbTpyEUkT3 — Bruce Springsteen (@springsteen) January 15, 2021 × Demi Lovato- Lovato is likely to perform at the event. I’m SO honored to announce that I will be joining @JoeBiden & @KamalaHarris for their special event, “Celebrating America” on January 20th at 8:30pm ET/PT ❤️🤍💙 I was left speechless when I was asked to perform! Tune in with various tv networks & live streaming services 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/YiYmQ43M51 — Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) January 13, 2021 × Justin Timberlake- Justin Timberlake will be performing his new single 'Better Days', which will also feature Ant Clemons. A few months ago @AntClemons and I wrote BETTER DAYS. This song was our way of doing what little we could to encourage everyone to stay hopeful and to keep working towards a better future. I’m honored to announce we’ll be performing it for the Inauguration. pic.twitter.com/aes5gXdEww — Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) January 13, 2021 × Jon Bon Jovi - The Bon Jovi frontman will perform for the 'Celebrating America' telecast. I am very honored to be part of the Presidential Inauguration tomorrow alongside so many incredible people. Tune in at 8:30pm as we ring in the new Administration of @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris. #Inauguration2021 pic.twitter.com/9RvANRYuEe — Jon Bon Jovi (@jonbonjovi) January 19, 2021 × Lin-Manuel Miranda- 'Hamilton' mastermind Miranda will make his appearance in 'Celebrating America' special. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar- Lakers legend will be part of the ceremony. I am proud to be joining @BidenInaugural on January 20 for a night of celebrating America! Tune in at 8:30pm as we ring in the new Administration of President @JoeBiden and Vice President @KamalaHarris.https://t.co/nbWRrInC2R#InaugurationDay #Inauguration2021 @BidenInaugural pic.twitter.com/KbIEt6ICu3 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) January 17, 2021 × Tim McGraw and Tyler Hubbard- The country musicians will be performing their new duet, 'Undivided'. Black Pumas- Yep, they are performing as well. DJ Cassidy and friends- For Wednesday’s virtual “Parade Across America” festivities, DJ Cassidy will link up with Earth, Wind & Fire, Nile Rodgers, Kathy Sledge, the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, the Washington Chorus and the Triumph Baptist Church Choir. Keke Palmer- She will hosting a segment called 'Our White House: An Inaugural Celebration for Young Americans,' featuring incoming First Lady Jill Biden. Tony Goldwyn- Onscreen POTUS, Goldwyn will emcee Wednesday’s “Parade Across America” as the University of Delaware and Howard University drumlines escort Biden and Harris from 15th Street to the White House. Jon Stewart- The Late Night Show host will be part of the parade. New Radicals- The new rock band will be there at Biden's inaugural ceremony. Allyson Felix, Nathan Chen and Katie Ledecky- Olympic sprinter Felix, figure skater Chen and swimmer Ledecky will be part of Wednesday’s parade. Andra Day - Singer Day will rise up to the task of performing during the parade, along with figure skater Kaitlyn Saunders. Watch Andra Day perform at @BidenInaugural tonight for a night of celebrating #MLKDay. Tune in at 8pm ET to listen to inspiring artists, speakers and more: https://t.co/AUK8TsQi0k #Inauguration2021 pic.twitter.com/mdMWTg6hhB — Andra Day (@AndraDayMusic) January 18, 2021 × Kenny Ortega- Prolific director and choreographer Ortega will lead the 'Dance Across America' segment of the parade. Katy Perry- Katy Perry will be performing at Joe Biden’s primetime inauguration special, and she shared a 'patriotic' picture ahead of her performance.

Lady Gaga, Tom Hanks, Justin Timberlake: The complete celebrity line up at Joe Biden's inaugural ceremony 

A night before the much-awaited inauguration day US President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris took part in an evening ceremony at the reflecting pool near the Lincoln Memorial to honour the 400,000 American lives lost to COVID-19.

Prez Biden and Vice-Prez Harris's first event after arriving in Washington

<p>What will US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris wear on Inauguration Day as she officially resumes duties as one of the world’s most powerful politicians has been on almost every fashionista’s mind. On January 20, 2021, when she takes over the office as the Vice President of the United States, many hope she wears an Indian saree to celebrate the culture she hails from.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a> is the daughter of an Indian born mother and Jamaican-American father. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan is a biomedical scientist who migrated from India to the US. Her Jamaican-American father Donald Harris is an economist and professor emeritus at Stanford University.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, votes for a sari actually grew after CNN interviewed fashion designer Bibhu Mohapatra about whether she chose a sari for the D-Day. He had then said that it would not come as a surprise if Kamala Harris decides to wear a sari for the inauguration ball. According to him, it is important for madam VP that she uses her saree as a tool to bring people together.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-what-symbolic-meaning-does-kamala-harris-and-dr-jill-bidens-designer-attires-at-covid-memorial-have-357906" hreflang="en">What symbolic meaning does Kamala Harris and Dr Jill Biden's designer attires at COVID Memorial have</a></p>

<p>Fashion historian Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell said that it would be amazing if Kamala decides to wear a saree-inspired gown on the inauguration day.</p>

<p>Also, Kamala was asked a question about saree by a person from the audience during her campaign speech. She was asked if she would be wearing the traditional Indian dress if she wins the election. Back then, Kamala had said, “Let’s first win.”</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-vogue-to-release-new-cover-image-of-kamala-harris-after-the-original-draws-criticism-357887">Vogue to release new cover of Kamala Harris after the original draws criticism</a></p>

<p>Since then, Twitterati has asked Kamala to wear a sari and expressed happiness at the prospect of a sari-clad woman at the White House.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Check out some reaction on this here:</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I hope Kamala Harris invokes her indian heritage by tackling casteism in the US rather than by wearing a sari on inauguration day (or both!! Both is great)</p>
— strictly chaos (@murdermongress) <a href="https://twitter.com/murdermongress/status/1350706042213199876?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">What if <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KamalaHarris</a> wears sari at inauguration tomorrow, I WILL cry, someone hold me</p>
— Roxanne Atienza (@roxanne_atienza) <a href="https://twitter.com/roxanne_atienza/status/1351570690206531586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I wonder if our future VP Kamala Harris might wear an Indian sari for the inauguration. Would be really cool if she did, but I can think of several reasons she’d choose not to.</p>
— Chandra Prasad (@chandrabooks) <a href="https://twitter.com/chandrabooks/status/1350553905881608194?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KamalaHarris</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/meenaharris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@meenaharris</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/mayaharris_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mayaharris_</a><br />
So excited to see this possibility of our US VP wearing a sari.<br />
<br />
I was gifted a sari after my time in beautiful Chennai. India is an Amazing place &amp; people.<br />
<br />
Would be so great to see our Veep acknowledging her cultural ties 🖤💙🖤 <a href="https://t.co/d3TXJ0Ov3Y">pic.twitter.com/d3TXJ0Ov3Y</a></p>
— cascadesmichele (@cascadesmichele) <a href="https://twitter.com/cascadesmichele/status/1350191188725231618?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


What will US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris wear on Inauguration Day as she officially resumes duties as one of the world’s most powerful politicians has been on almost every fashionista’s mind.

What will US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris wear on Inauguration Day as she officially resumes duties as one of the world’s most powerful politicians has been on almost every fashionista’s mind. On January 20, 2021, when she takes over the office as the Vice President of the United States, many hope she wears an Indian saree to celebrate the culture she hails from. Kamala Harris is the daughter of an Indian born mother and Jamaican-American father. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan is a biomedical scientist who migrated from India to the US. Her Jamaican-American father Donald Harris is an economist and professor emeritus at Stanford University. Meanwhile, votes for a sari actually grew after CNN interviewed fashion designer Bibhu Mohapatra about whether she chose a sari for the D-Day. He had then said that it would not come as a surprise if Kamala Harris decides to wear a sari for the inauguration ball. According to him, it is important for madam VP that she uses her saree as a tool to bring people together. What symbolic meaning does Kamala Harris and Dr Jill Biden's designer attires at COVID Memorial have Fashion historian Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell said that it would be amazing if Kamala decides to wear a saree-inspired gown on the inauguration day. Also, Kamala was asked a question about saree by a person from the audience during her campaign speech. She was asked if she would be wearing the traditional Indian dress if she wins the election. Back then, Kamala had said, “Let’s first win.” Vogue to release new cover of Kamala Harris after the original draws criticism Since then, Twitterati has asked Kamala to wear a sari and expressed happiness at the prospect of a sari-clad woman at the White House. Check out some reaction on this here: I hope Kamala Harris invokes her indian heritage by tackling casteism in the US rather than by wearing a sari on inauguration day (or both!! Both is great) — strictly chaos (@murdermongress) January 17, 2021 × What if @KamalaHarris wears sari at inauguration tomorrow, I WILL cry, someone hold me — Roxanne Atienza (@roxanne_atienza) January 19, 2021 × I wonder if our future VP Kamala Harris might wear an Indian sari for the inauguration. Would be really cool if she did, but I can think of several reasons she’d choose not to. — Chandra Prasad (@chandrabooks) January 16, 2021 × @KamalaHarris @meenaharris @mayaharris_ So excited to see this possibility of our US VP wearing a sari. I was gifted a sari after my time in beautiful Chennai. India is an Amazing place & people. Would be so great to see our Veep acknowledging her cultural ties 🖤💙🖤 pic.twitter.com/d3TXJ0Ov3Y — cascadesmichele (@cascadesmichele) January 15, 2021 ×

Desis on Twitter wonder if Kamala Harris will wear a sari on Inauguration Day or gown inspired by the Indian dress?

<p>It was a sight to watch as US President-elect Joe Biden accompanied by wife Dr. Jill Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris along with husband Doug Emhoff were spotted at the National Mall in Washington DC for a COVID Memorial honouring and remembering American lives that were lost during the pandemic.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-inauguration-day-2021-live-updates-biden-set-to-be-next-us-president-as-trump-exits-357872">US Inauguration Day 2021 Live updates: Biden set to be next US President</a></p>

<p>Looking at the Mall’s pool of reflection were President-elect and Vice President-elect with their spouses. At the commemoration, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> said, “To heal we must remember. It’s hard sometimes to remember but that’s how we heal. It’s important to do that as a nation… Let us shine the lights in the darkness… and remember all whom we lost.”&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a> had followed and said, “Tonight we grieve and begin healing together. Though we may be physically separated we the American people are united in spirit. And my abiding hope, my abiding prayer, is that we emerge from this ordeal with a new wisdom: to cherish simple moments, to imagine new possibilities, and to open our hearts just a little bit more to one another.”</p>

<p>As America hopes for a new future and hope for change, we can also reflect on changes that were hinted by the way of Kamala Harris and Dr Jill Biden’s sartorial choices. Dr. Biden chose a purple wrap coat and paneled dress from the fall 2021 collection of Jonathan Cohen, one of a new generation of American designers who is championing sustainability and responsible design. The color of the coat and mask was made from fabric scraps from Cohen’s studio. Also, the colour purple is what you get when you mix red and blue -- of the American flag.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-vogue-to-release-new-cover-image-of-kamala-harris-after-the-original-draws-criticism-357887">Vogue to release new cover of Kamala Harris after the original draws criticism</a></p>

<p>Meanwhile, Vice President-elect Harris wore a camel coat by Kerby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss, a Black designer. On his runways, Jean-Raymond has addressed the erasure of African American narratives in popular culture via a three-part series of collections that he called “American, Also,” which included one show at Weeksville, a black neighborhood in Brooklyn.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Take a closer look at their designer attires here:</p>

<p><img alt="kamala" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="aa8d2f3b-7943-4d06-9fdc-c772dc66b222" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/HORIZONS%20-%202021-01-20T133627.833.jpg" /></p>


It was a sight to watch as US President-elect Joe Biden accompanied by wife Dr. Jill Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris along with husband Doug Emhoff were spotted at the National Mall in Washington DC for a COVID Memorial honouring and remembering American lives that were lost during the pandemic.

It was a sight to watch as US President-elect Joe Biden accompanied by wife Dr. Jill Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris along with husband Doug Emhoff were spotted at the National Mall in Washington DC for a COVID Memorial honouring and remembering American lives that were lost during the pandemic. US Inauguration Day 2021 Live updates: Biden set to be next US President Looking at the Mall’s pool of reflection were President-elect and Vice President-elect with their spouses. At the commemoration, Joe Biden said, “To heal we must remember. It’s hard sometimes to remember but that’s how we heal. It’s important to do that as a nation… Let us shine the lights in the darkness… and remember all whom we lost.” Kamala Harris had followed and said, “Tonight we grieve and begin healing together. Though we may be physically separated we the American people are united in spirit. And my abiding hope, my abiding prayer, is that we emerge from this ordeal with a new wisdom: to cherish simple moments, to imagine new possibilities, and to open our hearts just a little bit more to one another.” As America hopes for a new future and hope for change, we can also reflect on changes that were hinted by the way of Kamala Harris and Dr Jill Biden’s sartorial choices. Dr. Biden chose a purple wrap coat and paneled dress from the fall 2021 collection of Jonathan Cohen, one of a new generation of American designers who is championing sustainability and responsible design. The color of the coat and mask was made from fabric scraps from Cohen’s studio. Also, the colour purple is what you get when you mix red and blue -- of the American flag. Vogue to release new cover of Kamala Harris after the original draws criticism Meanwhile, Vice President-elect Harris wore a camel coat by Kerby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss, a Black designer. On his runways, Jean-Raymond has addressed the erasure of African American narratives in popular culture via a three-part series of collections that he called “American, Also,” which included one show at Weeksville, a black neighborhood in Brooklyn. Take a closer look at their designer attires here:

What symbolic meaning does Kamala Harris and Dr Jill Biden's designer attires at COVID Memorial have

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris inauguration preparations are underway in Washington DC amid tight security. The field of flags display in the National Monument Washington DC was put up by the Biden inaugural committee.

US: Over 191,000 flags put up by Biden inaugural committee

<p>As America anxiously gears up for the inauguration of 46th President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday, natives of Tamil Nadu’s Thulasenthirapuram-Painganaadu are also making preparations. This village in the Southern Indian state’s Tiruvarur district is the ancestral home of Kamala Harris’ maternal family. While the inauguration ceremony is scheduled after 10 pm IST, the village will commence their celebrations almost 12 hours in advance, at 10 am IST&nbsp;on Wednesday.</p>

<p>A special Puja (prayer ritual) and Archana (offerings for the deity) are to be held at the Sri Dharmasastha Temple in the village, which would be followed be celebrations, bursting of crackers and distribution of ladoos (sweets). Over 200 persons are expected to take part in the celebrations according to the village head.</p>

<p>Going by engravings on the temple wall, Kamala’s relatives who live in India had donated a small sum to the temple fund in 2014. The engraving bears the name Kamala Harris, with the donation sum Rs. 5000 (about 70USD) written beside it. According to the village head, they consider Harris’ family their own people and take pride in it, adding that, they had performed Pujas and erected banners in prominent parts of the village when they knew she was Biden’s running mate.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“Besides the celebrations, we are also planning to get a mini-forest ready in the near future. This is being planned on a small patch of land adjoining the temple” J.Suthakar, the village head and the President of the local Rotary chapter told Zee Media.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Cheering on from their respective homes in Chennai and Delhi, will be Dr. Sarala Gopalan and Dr. Gopalan Balachandran, the maternal aunt and uncle of Kamala Harris. While the family members had initially hoped to be in the US for the Inauguration, they shelved their plans owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“We haven’t spoken, but she always has our wishes, surely she has her hands full given the situation in their country” Dr. Balachandran, Kamala Harris’ uncle and senior journalist told Zee Media.&nbsp;</p>


As America anxiously gears up for the inauguration of 46th President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday, natives of Tamil Nadu’s Thulasenthirapuram-Painganaadu are also making preparations.

As America anxiously gears up for the inauguration of 46th President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday, natives of Tamil Nadu’s Thulasenthirapuram-Painganaadu are also making preparations. This village in the Southern Indian state’s Tiruvarur district is the ancestral home of Kamala Harris’ maternal family. While the inauguration ceremony is scheduled after 10 pm IST, the village will commence their celebrations almost 12 hours in advance, at 10 am IST on Wednesday. A special Puja (prayer ritual) and Archana (offerings for the deity) are to be held at the Sri Dharmasastha Temple in the village, which would be followed be celebrations, bursting of crackers and distribution of ladoos (sweets). Over 200 persons are expected to take part in the celebrations according to the village head. Going by engravings on the temple wall, Kamala’s relatives who live in India had donated a small sum to the temple fund in 2014. The engraving bears the name Kamala Harris, with the donation sum Rs. 5000 (about 70USD) written beside it. According to the village head, they consider Harris’ family their own people and take pride in it, adding that, they had performed Pujas and erected banners in prominent parts of the village when they knew she was Biden’s running mate. “Besides the celebrations, we are also planning to get a mini-forest ready in the near future. This is being planned on a small patch of land adjoining the temple” J.Suthakar, the village head and the President of the local Rotary chapter told Zee Media. Cheering on from their respective homes in Chennai and Delhi, will be Dr. Sarala Gopalan and Dr. Gopalan Balachandran, the maternal aunt and uncle of Kamala Harris. While the family members had initially hoped to be in the US for the Inauguration, they shelved their plans owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. “We haven’t spoken, but she always has our wishes, surely she has her hands full given the situation in their country” Dr. Balachandran, Kamala Harris’ uncle and senior journalist told Zee Media.

Biden-Harris inauguration: Special prayers, sweet distribution planned at Harris’ ancestral village

US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and Douglas Emhoff have been married for nearly 7 years. The power couple who first met in 2013 on a blind date recently opened up about their first meeting with Harris admitting that she had googled Emhoff before their date much to his surprise.

US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and Douglas Emhoff have been married for nearly 7 years. The power couple who first met in 2013 on a blind date recently opened up about their first meeting with Harris admitting that she had googled Emhoff before their date much to his surprise. The couple appeared in their first joint interview since Harris' win on the show 'Sunday Morning' on CBS where Harris revealed she had looked up the entertainment lawyer prior to their first daughter. "Ooh. This is a reveal," Emhoff responded. The episode was aired on January 17th. A day earlier, Harris shared the clip on her Instagram and wrote, "@DouglasEmhoff and I sat down for our first joint television interview with @CBSSundayMorning—and I even broke some news to him about our very first date." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kamala Harris (@kamalaharris) × View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kamala Harris (@kamalaharris) × "We were set up on a blind date in 2013, and it was practically love at first sight,” she shared. "It felt like we had known each other forever. We were married a year later in a ceremony officiated by my sister Maya," Harris recalled. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Doug Emhoff (@douglasemhoff) × Kamala Harris revealed that it was her best friend who set them up. “She said, 'Just trust me. Just trust me.' You know, she wanted me to just kind of go into it,” the VP-elect shared through laughter. "She said, 'Don't Google him.' I did!" Here's the full interview. Emhoff said he had to work up the courage to send her a text. Post their meet, he gave her a call the next morning. "I left this ridiculous voicemail, which she has saved and plays back to me on our anniversary every year," Emhoff said and admitted that he thought he'd never hear from Harris again. They married just a year later in 2014. "It was just, it was adorable," Harris said, recalling the voicemail message. "And it was just, I mean, the thing about Doug is that he is exactly who he is. He's just fully authentic and clear about the things he cares about—and it's family, it's his work…" "You," Emhoff added.

Kamala Harris admits she had googled husband Doug Emhoff before their first date

In 3 days from now, America will get a new President Joe Biden. For the first time in America's 231-year-old Presidential history, the country will also get a Second Gentleman and a working FLOTUS. What will be Doug Emhoff and Jill Biden's role in the Biden White House? WION's Palki Sharma explores.

Gravitas Plus: Biden's inauguration to shatter America's gender norms

<p>In a first, a few days after Twitter launched a new Twitter account <strong>'@PresElectBiden' </strong>for the incoming US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>, the social media platform has done the same for the Vice-President's husband.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris'</a> husband Douglas Emhoff will be the first Second Gentleman in the history of the US. Harris recently made history by becoming the first woman Vice President and first South Asian, African-American VP of the US.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/joe-biden-kamala-harris-drop-inaugural-playlist-featuring-beyonce-dua-lipa-more-357296" hreflang="en">Joe Biden, Kamala Harris drop inaugural playlist featuring Beyonce, Dua Lipa &amp; more</a></strong></p>

<p>Now, her husband, too, has made history by becoming the first-ever 'Second Gentleman' of the country. This is also the first time Twitter has launched an official account for the partner of the VP.</p>

<p>Emhoff's new Twitter account's bio reads "Future Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff. Devoted dad. Proud husband to Vice President-elect Harris."</p>

<p><strong>Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-vice-president-elect-kamala-harris-gets-covid-19-vaccine-353218" hreflang="en">US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris gets COVID-19 vaccine</a></strong></p>

<p>The incoming President also gave a warm welcome to Emhoff — along with the VP and FLOTUS — through his first tweet on his new official account.</p>

<p>"While you're here, follow @FLOTUSBiden @SenKamalaHarris @SecondGentleman and @Transition46," he tweeted.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Folks — This will be the account for my official duties as President. At 12:01 PM on January 20th, it will become <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>. Until then, I'll be using <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoeBiden</a>. And while you're here, follow <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUSBiden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUSBiden</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SenKamalaHarris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenKamalaHarris</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SecondGentleman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecondGentleman</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Transition46?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Transition46</a>.</p>
— President-elect Biden (@PresElectBiden) <a href="https://twitter.com/PresElectBiden/status/1349918127413407747?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Biden will be sworn in as the new US President in an inauguration ceremony on January 20 and the outgoing President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a> will be surrendering the control of the White House on the same day.</p>

<p>The 56-year-old has left his private law practice to focus on his role at the White House, and had described it as an 'honour' to be able to serve as the Second Gentleman of the US.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"I think it would be an incredible honour… I’m going to hopefully work on things like access to justice and access to opportunity and access to the American dream."</p>


In a first, a few days after Twitter launched a new Twitter account '@PresElectBiden' for the incoming US President Joe Biden, the social media platform has done the same for the Vice-President's husband.

In a first, a few days after Twitter launched a new Twitter account '@PresElectBiden' for the incoming US President Joe Biden, the social media platform has done the same for the Vice-President's husband. Kamala Harris' husband Douglas Emhoff will be the first Second Gentleman in the history of the US. Harris recently made history by becoming the first woman Vice President and first South Asian, African-American VP of the US. Also read| Joe Biden, Kamala Harris drop inaugural playlist featuring Beyonce, Dua Lipa & more Now, her husband, too, has made history by becoming the first-ever 'Second Gentleman' of the country. This is also the first time Twitter has launched an official account for the partner of the VP. Emhoff's new Twitter account's bio reads "Future Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff. Devoted dad. Proud husband to Vice President-elect Harris." Also read| US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris gets COVID-19 vaccine The incoming President also gave a warm welcome to Emhoff — along with the VP and FLOTUS — through his first tweet on his new official account. "While you're here, follow @FLOTUSBiden @SenKamalaHarris @SecondGentleman and @Transition46," he tweeted. Folks — This will be the account for my official duties as President. At 12:01 PM on January 20th, it will become @POTUS. Until then, I'll be using @JoeBiden. And while you're here, follow @FLOTUSBiden @SenKamalaHarris @SecondGentleman and @Transition46. — President-elect Biden (@PresElectBiden) January 15, 2021 × Biden will be sworn in as the new US President in an inauguration ceremony on January 20 and the outgoing President Donald Trump will be surrendering the control of the White House on the same day. The 56-year-old has left his private law practice to focus on his role at the White House, and had described it as an 'honour' to be able to serve as the Second Gentleman of the US. "I think it would be an incredible honour… I’m going to hopefully work on things like access to justice and access to opportunity and access to the American dream."

Kamala Harris' husband appears as '@SecondGentleman' on Twitter before Inauguration

<p>Two days before the US President-elect<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden"> Joe Biden's</a> inauguration ceremony, the incoming Vice President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a> will be resigning from the Senate.</p>

<p>An aide close to Harris told the local media that the incoming Vice President and a current US Senator will be resigning to prepare for her takeover of the VP position, after she defeated the Republican candidate, Mike Pence, in the recently-concluded US election 2020.</p>

<p><strong>Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/joe-biden-kamala-harris-drop-inaugural-playlist-featuring-beyonce-dua-lipa-more-357296" hreflang="en">Joe Biden, Kamala Harris drop inaugural playlist featuring Beyonce, Dua Lipa &amp; more</a></strong></p>

<p>As per the reports, the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, is aware of Harris' decision and has elected Democrat Alex Padilla, now California's secretary of state, to replace Harris in her remaining two terms in the office.</p>

<p>She will not be giving any farewell speech, as per reports, as the Senate is not scheduled to reconvene until the eve of Biden's inauguration ceremony.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/biden-to-sign-executive-orders-on-day-1-security-beefed-up-across-washington-357191" hreflang="en">Biden to sign executive orders on Day 1, security beefed up across Washington</a></strong></p>

<p>Harris won the November 2015 elections and took over the office by defeating Loretta Sanchez in the general election.</p>

<p>Padilla is currently the 32nd Secretary of State. He took over the position in 2015 and will be the first Latino senator from California. While his selection is conformed, his date of joining has not yet been made clear.</p>


Two days before the US President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony, the incoming Vice President Kamala Harris will be resigning from the Senate. An aide close to Harris told the local media that the incoming Vice President and a current US Senator will be resigning to prepare for her takeover of the VP position, after she defeated the Republican candidate, Mike Pence, in the recently-concluded US election 2020.

Two days before the US President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony, the incoming Vice President Kamala Harris will be resigning from the Senate. An aide close to Harris told the local media that the incoming Vice President and a current US Senator will be resigning to prepare for her takeover of the VP position, after she defeated the Republican candidate, Mike Pence, in the recently-concluded US election 2020. Also read| Joe Biden, Kamala Harris drop inaugural playlist featuring Beyonce, Dua Lipa & more As per the reports, the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, is aware of Harris' decision and has elected Democrat Alex Padilla, now California's secretary of state, to replace Harris in her remaining two terms in the office. She will not be giving any farewell speech, as per reports, as the Senate is not scheduled to reconvene until the eve of Biden's inauguration ceremony. Also read| Biden to sign executive orders on Day 1, security beefed up across Washington Harris won the November 2015 elections and took over the office by defeating Loretta Sanchez in the general election. Padilla is currently the 32nd Secretary of State. He took over the position in 2015 and will be the first Latino senator from California. While his selection is conformed, his date of joining has not yet been made clear.

Kamala Harris set to resign from Senate on Monday: Aides

Actor Tom Hanks will host a primetime television special on Jan. 20 to celebrate the inauguration of Joe Biden as president, organizers said on Wednesday.

Tom Hanks to host televised special for Biden's inauguration

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