Biden and Harris break barriers, create history | US Inauguration Day 2021 -- as it happened
Photograph: (Reuters)
<p>Joe Biden was sworn in as the<strong> 46th president of the United States </strong>on Wednesday at a scaled-back ceremony in Washington. Have a look at how it all happened on January 20, 2021.</p>Key Updates
21 Jan 2021, 2:25 (IST)
Biden arrives at the White House for first time as president
Joe Biden has arrived at the White House for the first time as president.
The new president walked onto the White House grounds, after walking the last few blocks to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
The band played "Hail to the Chief" and "God Bless America" as Biden and his wife walked in.
21 Jan 2021, 2:23 (IST)
Biden fist bumps member of press
President Joe Biden made a couple stops as he walked toward the White House along the inaugural parade route.
He 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 the live coverage.
21 Jan 2021, 2:19 (IST)
Biden's inaugural parade begins
The inaugural parade down Pennsylvania Avenue to honour President Joe Biden's incoming administration is virtual this year owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will receive a presidential escort from 15th Street to the White House including the US Army Band, a Joint Service Honor Guard and the commander in chief's Guard and Fife Drum Corps.
21 Jan 2021, 2:12 (IST)
Celebrities welcome Biden-Harris to lead America in new direction
From Oprah to Mark Ruffalo and Mindy Kaling, here's how celebrities reacted on Biden-Harris inauguration at the Capitol Hill.
21 Jan 2021, 1:52 (IST)
'A day of many firsts'
Today's presidential inauguration marked a series of firsts for the United States. From the country's oldest president to its first woman vice president, and the youngest poet to perform at the ceremony - the inauguration of the 46th President of the United States - Joe Biden was a sign of the times.
21 Jan 2021, 1:51 (IST)
Women opt for monochrome, colour-block at Biden-Harris inauguration
Here's how the women dressed at the Biden-Harris inauguration ceremony at Capitol Hill | SEE PICS
21 Jan 2021, 1:46 (IST)
Catch up: Read Biden's inaugural address
Joe Biden was sworn in today in DC and became the 46th president of the United States.
You can read his full address here.
21 Jan 2021, 1:09 (IST)
Biden participates in wreath-laying ceremony with Obama, Clinton and Bush
President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are joined by three former presidents — Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton — at a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
Former first ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton are also at the event.
21 Jan 2021, 0:44 (IST)
21 Jan 2021, 0:17 (IST)
20 Jan 2021, 11:54 PM (IST)
20 Jan 2021, 11:05 PM (IST)
Inaugural ceremony concludes
The inaugural ceremony concluded with a benediction by Reverend Silvester Beaman.
Beaman said, “We will make friends of our enemies.”
Biden then left the ceremony as “The Stars and Stripes Forever” played.
He hugged Barack Obama as he walked out.
Now, there will be an inaugural parade, following which Biden and Harris will have a presidential escort from 15th Street to the White House including the US Army Band, a Joint Service Honor Guard and the commander in chief's Guard and Fife Drum Corps.
20 Jan 2021, 10:56 PM (IST)
Biden leads silent prayer for victims of coronavirus
New US President Joe Biden led a moment of silence for the 400,000 American victims of the coronavirus Wednesday, warning the country may be entering the deadliest phase of the pandemic.
"We need all our strength to persevere through this dark winter. We're entering what may be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus," Biden said in his inaugural address.
20 Jan 2021, 10:43 PM (IST)
Biden delivers inaugural address
In his inauguration speech, President Joe Biden recognised racism.
"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, demonization have long torn us apart," Biden said.
He said that through tough times in US history — the Civil War, the Great Depression, both world wars and the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks — "our better angels have always prevailed."
Biden said that in every instance, Americans have been able to come together for the greater good.
"History, faith and reason show the way, the way of unity," Biden said.
20 Jan 2021, 10:27 PM (IST)
'Democracy has prevailed'
Biden received a standing ovation as he took the stage to deliver his inaugural address.
After thanking those present at the inauguration, Biden said, “This is America’s day. This is democracy’s day.”
“We’ve learned again that democracy is precious,” the president said. “And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.”
20 Jan 2021, 10:19 PM (IST)
20 Jan 2021, 10:06 PM (IST)
Trump issues one more pardon
Trump granted one additional pardon in the final hours of his presidency.
"Today, President Donald J. Trump granted a full pardon to Albert J. Pirro, Jr.," deputy press secretary Judd Deere said in a statement to pool.
Pirro was convicted on conspiracy and tax evasion charges after improperly deducting $1.2 million of his personal expenses in business write-offs.
20 Jan 2021, 8:44 PM (IST)
20 Jan 2021, 8:32 PM (IST)
Lady Gaga is here!
Before her scheduled performance of the National Anthem at Joe Biden's presidential inauguration, Lady Gaga took a moment to share a prayer for peace.
"I pray tomorrow will be a day of peace for all Americans," she wrote alongside a selfie taken from the US Capitol building which faced a violent act of intrusion this month.
20 Jan 2021, 8:25 PM (IST)
20 Jan 2021, 8:08 PM (IST)
Kamala Harris wearing Black designers
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is wearing Christopher John Rogers and Sergio Hudson, according to CNN.
Christopher is a young Black designer, from Baton Rouge, and lives in New York City. Sergio is a Black designer from South Carolina.
The Second Gentleman is wearing a Ralph Lauren suit.
20 Jan 2021, 8:03 PM (IST)
Bidens attend mass with Republican, Democratic Congress leaders
Biden attended a mass at St Matthew's Cathedral in Washington, DC on Wednesday morning, accompanied by Democratic and Republican leaders of Congress in a symbol of unity ahead of his inauguration.
The future 46th President of the United States was accompanied by his wife Jill Biden, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, as well as Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell and House leader Kevin McCarthy.
20 Jan 2021, 7:46 PM (IST)
Trump left a letter for Joe Biden, spokesman says
President Trump did leave a note for his successor, Joe Biden, according to a spokesperson.
The contents of the note weren't immediately clear.
Melania Trump also left a "short note of welcome" for Jill Biden.
This is a tradition going back through Reagan.
20 Jan 2021, 7:38 PM (IST)
Trump snubs Biden
Trump did not mention Biden by name in his final speech as the president.
In his short, unscripted remarks, Trump thanked his family and vowed to "always fight."
While he wished the next administration "great luck," but he did not mention President-elect Joe Biden by name.
In his last words before getting on the plane, Trump said: "Have a good life, we will see you soon."
20 Jan 2021, 7:24 PM (IST)
Biden arrives for church service
Joe Biden, who will become only the second Catholic president, is attending a service at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, DC, ahead of his Inauguration.
Biden will be joined by all four congressional leaders -- including Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.
Since 1933, seven presidents – Presidents Franklin D Roosevelt, Truman, Reagan, George HW Bush, George W Bush, Obama and Trump – attended morning services at St John’s ahead of their public inaugurations, according to the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.
20 Jan 2021, 7:19 PM (IST)
Trump addresses supporters in departure speech
Trump said his administration had ‘left it all on the field’, and will not be saying to themselves they could have worked harder. He concluded his address by saying “You are amazing people and this is a great great country it is an honor and privilege to have been your president,” while the crowd chanted “Thank you Trump.”
He recognised his children, saying, “People have no idea how hard this family worked. They could have had a much easier life, but they just, they did a fantastic job.”
He also recognised his chief of staff, Mark Meadows, before calling up first lady Melania Trump to make brief remarks.
He called the first lady a “woman of great grace and beauty and dignity," and said she was “so popular with the people."
20 Jan 2021, 7:15 PM (IST)
Melania Trump is overwhelmed!
First lady Melania Trump spoke at President Trump's final farewell ceremony at Joint Base Andrews before they leave for Florida.
"Being your first lady was my greatest honor. Thank you for your love and your support. You will be in my thoughts and prayers. God bless you all. God bless your families. And God bless this beautiful nation. Thank you," she said.
20 Jan 2021, 6:41 PM (IST)
Joe Biden will take these decisions on very first day in office
Biden plans to get straight to work on the first day of his presidency. He is slated to take 17 decisions that will reverse those taken by Donald Trump. These include revoking ban on travel to US from six Muslim-majority countries, rejoining the WHO and more.
20 Jan 2021, 6:05 PM (IST)
Biden will issue order to dissolve Trump's '1776 commission'
The Biden team has announced it would dismantle Trump’s 1776 commission -- a panel stood up by President Donald Trump as a rebuttal to schools applying a more accurate history curriculum around slavery in the US.
The commission had been formed as an apparent counter to The New York Times’ 1619 Project, a Pulitzer Prize-winning project aimed at teaching American students about slavery that Trump, speaking last fall, had called “toxic propaganda.”
20 Jan 2021, 5:58 PM (IST)
Meanwhile, world leaders are welcoming US transfer of power to Biden
Political leaders across the globe are looking forward to the historic transfer of power in the United States -- where Democrat Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th US president after four turbulent years under Donald Trump | SEE PICS
20 Jan 2021, 5:57 PM (IST)
Russia says better ties with US up to Biden
The Kremlin said Wednesday that any improvement in Moscow's tense relationship with Washington would depend on Joe Biden when he enters the White House.
The United States recently blamed Kremlin-backed hackers for a massive cyberattack that breached government institutions, adding to a long list of grievances plaguing ties between the former Cold War rivals.
"Russia will live as it has lived for hundreds of years: seeking good relations with the United States," the Kremlin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
Whether or not Washington works towards achieving the same goal "will depend on Mr Biden and his team," Peskov added.
20 Jan 2021, 5:22 PM (IST)
Creating history -- in blazers and sneakers
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' understated and elegant signature style of blazers combined with sneakers signals a new way of power dressing.
Harris will make history as the first female, first Black and first South Asian American vice president on Wednesday.
Emerging as a woman of conviction and dedicated towards her work, Harris makes sure her approachable personality is reflected through her attire, several US media outlets reported.
Her no-nonsense wardrobe often features sharp blazers, skinny pants, pearls and Converse sneakers.
Harris' fashion sense dates back to the days when she was a lawyer in San Francisco. She had a big collection of sharp blazers in neutral tones along with accessories like boldly patterned scarves, colourful Converse or the jangly bangles she wears alongside a Cartier watch, the report said.
Harris has always maintained a simple yet graceful look, whether it is her debut as the vice presidential candidate or her victory speech when the Democrats won the November 3 presidential election.
Daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, Harris is giving fashion goals to women who want to look stylish yet comfortable in what they wear.
She has also featured on the cover page of Vogue's February issue in her signature style.
20 Jan 2021, 5:10 PM (IST)
What we know so far about Biden's inaugural address today
Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th US president Wednesday, drawing a curtain on the most tumultuous administration of modern times and charting a new course to tackle Covid-19 and unite a splintered nation.
The magnitude of the message Biden is going to deliver on the steps of the US Capitol during his inaugural address today is almost immeasurable.
He must be steadily crafting the speech since the day after he delivered a victory address in Wilmington, Delaware, aides say. But in those passing 72 days, Biden's burden has grown even heavier, with the outgoing president's, Donald Trump, histroinics and relentless falsehoods complicating the already-challenging task of unifying a divided nation.
According to CNN, Mike Donilon, a longtime advisor to Biden who will join him in the West Wing, is overseeing the speechwriting process along with Vinay Reddy, Biden's chief speechwriter.
Jon Meacham, the historian and presidential biographer, is also helping shape the inaugural address, which will be delivered as the opening mark of perhaps the most challenging presidency since Franklin Roosevelt.
It is expected to be about 20 minutes in length -- which follows a pattern of inaugural addresses from recent presidents. Four years ago, Trump spoke for 15 minutes, while Barack Obama's speech in 2009 was about 18 minutes.
20 Jan 2021, 4:19 PM (IST)
20 Jan 2021, 3:25 PM (IST)
Europe has a friend in the White House, says European Parliament by Ursula von der Leyen.
"President Trump may be history in a few hours, but his supporters remain. More than 70 million Americans voted for Trump in the election," she said.
"A few hundred of them stormed the Capitol in Washington, the heart of American democracy, just a few days ago, Ursula von der Leyen said, adding, "And this really is what it looks like when words put into deeds, when hate speech and fake news become a real danger to democracy."
20 Jan 2021, 2:43 PM (IST)
Rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black were among the beneficiaries of Donald Trump's wave of pardons in his last day in office on Wednesday.
Five-time Grammy Award winner Lil Wayne, whose legal name is Dwayne Carter Jr., appeared to support Trump on the campaign trail ahead of Trump's reelection bid when Carter said he backed Trump's criminal justice reform program and economic plan for African Americans.
Carter, whose 2016 single "No Problem" won the Best Rap Performance Grammy, pleaded guilty last month to illegally possessing a loaded, gold-plated handgun when his chartered jet landed in Miami in December 2019. He faced a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
Read More: President Trump pardons 73 people
Black, 23, who was born Bill Kahan Kapri, is in federal prison for making a false statement to buy a firearm, and released the album "Bill Israel" from behind bars.
Black had pleaded guilty in August 2019, and three months later was sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison. He was seeking compassionate release and his commutation was supported by religious leaders, other rappers and athletes.
20 Jan 2021, 1:58 PM (IST)
As US President departs from the White House, Iran President Hassan Rouhani said "a tyrant's era came to an end and today is the final day of his ominous reign".
"Someone for whom all of his four years bore no fruit other than injustice and corruption and causing problems for his own people and the world."
During his presidency, Trump led a campaign of "maximum pressure" against Iran, pulling Washington out of a landmark nuclear deal with Tehran in 2018 and reimposing punishing sanctions.
20 Jan 2021, 1:46 PM (IST)
Trump said he had given a full pardon to a former Google engineer Anthony Levandowski sentenced for stealing a trade secret on self-driving cars months before he briefly headed Uber Technologies Inc's rival unit.
Read More: President Trump pardons 73 people including ex-aide Steve Bannon
Anthony Levandowski, 40, was sentenced in August to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in March. He was not in custody but a judge had said he could enter custody once the COVID-19 pandemic subsided.
The White House said Levandowski had "paid a significant price for his actions and plans to devote his talents to advance the public good."
20 Jan 2021, 1:21 PM (IST)
At 78, Joe Biden to become the oldest US president to take oath
Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania in 1942 and moved to Delaware as a child.
At age 29, Biden became one of the youngest people ever elected to the United States Senate.
20 Jan 2021, 12:44 PM (IST)
Biden to declassify report on assassination of Jamal Khashoggi
Trump had refrained from taking harsh measures against Saudi Arabia after reports emerged Khashoggi's body was dismembered in the Kingdom's Istanbul consulate in 2018.
20 Jan 2021, 12:30 PM (IST)
Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige speak out against police brutality in powerful video
The video highlights individuals including Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Botham Jean, and others who have died at the hands of the police.
20 Jan 2021, 12:02 PM (IST)
Melania Trump’s legacy: Missteps, mystery and, in the end, absence
Described by White House officials as in a state of shock after the election, Melania Trump joined with her husband in insisting that he had actually won.
20 Jan 2021, 11:34 AM (IST)
Trump pardons ex-aide Bannon but not himself or family: Report
White House officials had argued to Trump that he should not pardon himself or his family because it might look like they are guilty of crimes, according to a source familiar with the situation.
20 Jan 2021, 10:48 AM (IST)
Biden's cabinet pick Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, "President Trump was right in taking a tougher approach to China," but added, "I disagree very much with the way he went about it in a number of areas."
In a farewell address Tuesday, the outgoing president defended his record, saying he had brought unprecedented international pressure on Washington's communist rival.
"We revitalized our alliances and rallied the nations of the world to stand up to China like never before," Trump said, according to excerpts released by the White House.
But he in fact consistently acted unilaterally, while both retreating from and crippling the World Trade Organization, which enforces global commerce rules.
20 Jan 2021, 10:23 AM (IST)
In Pics: Trump spends last working day at White House
US President Donald Trump bestowed a rare award on King Hamad of Bahrain on Tuesday, acknowledging the Gulf state's normalisation of ties with Israel on his last full day in office.
20 Jan 2021, 10:22 AM (IST)
Joe Biden gives tearful goodbye to Delaware while honouring late son Beau
Tears rolled down Biden's cheeks at a farewell ceremony in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, where he paid tribute to his late son Beau, a rising politician who died of brain cancer in 2015 aged 46.
20 Jan 2021, 10:18 AM (IST)
12 US National Guard troops pulled from inauguration after far-right probe
Two of the 12 were removed from duty for making "inappropriate comments or texts," said National Guard Commander General Daniel Hokanson.
The actions against the 12 came amid concerns that the far-right extremists who took a part in the assault on the US Capitol on January 6 have associates or sympathisers in the US military.
20 Jan 2021, 10:17 AM (IST)
In farewell address, Trump touts new beginning for 'Make America Great Again'
Trump touted his administration's accomplishments stating that his main focus was on the federal vaccine program and his handling of the pandemic.
"When our nation was hit with the terrible pandemic, we produced not one, but two vaccines with record-breaking speed, and more will quickly follow. They said it couldn't be done but we did it. They call it a "medical miracle," and that's what they're calling it right now: a "medical miracle," Trump said.