Guide to Joe Biden's inauguration
The ceremony will be marked by the absence of Trump, the covid-19 virus, and the threat of violence
BarcelonaThe world looks to the United States on the eve of a historic investiture marked by exceptionality. Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and their administration will begin a new phase in the world's oldest modern democracy. Washington is putting extreme security measures in place in the face of the dangers that will surround the inauguration: the coronavirus, and the most radical followers of Donald Trump. Moreover, for the first time since 1869, the current president will not be present to exemplify the transfer of power, stubborn in his theory of electoral fraud. Donald Trump is the tenth head of state to not be re-elected, the first to not get a second term since 1992, when George H.W. Bush lost to Democrat Bill Clinton. On the other hand, attention will also be focused on Harris, who will be the first woman to hold the vice-presidency of the United States.
Here is a quick guide to follow the inauguration:
Where and when will the ceremony take place?
This Wednesday, January 20, at noon (U.S. time - six o'clock in the afternoon in Catalonia), Biden and Harris will take the oath of office outside the Capitol, the same place where the far-right-wing assailants gathered on January 6. Biden wanted to follow the tradition of doing it outdoors, started in 1865 by Andrew Jackson, and declined his team's proposal to move the ceremony inside the Capitol. The ceremony will take place on the steps of the building, overlooking the National Mall, from where hundreds of thousands of people traditionally follow the inauguration. This year the presence of an audience has not been possible.
How does covid-19 condition the ceremony?
When the last Democratic president, Barack Obama, was elected to his first term in 2009, about two million people gathered on the National Mall. This time, however, the image will be very different: the esplanade has been closed to pedestrians. About 200 people, sitting on the stage and respecting the safety distance, will witness the inauguration. They will all have tested negative for coronavirus and will be wearing masks. Biden had already warned in June that if he won he would take off his mask to take the oath.
As the U.S. approaches 400,000 deaths from coronavirus, authorities have asked people to stay home and avoid crowds. Mobility restrictions have been extended in the area comprising the Capitol and the White House: only residents and essential workers will be allowed to move around in the green zone, while in the red zone all unauthorized vehicles have been banned. More than a dozen subway stations will be closed for the day.
What will security be like?
The inauguration ceremony has always had a high level of security. Last week the FBI warned of possible "armed protests" that far-right groups were organizing on social networks. The U.S. Secret Service, which has as its main duty to ensure the protection of the president, will deploy 25,000 National Guard troops, three times the reserves used for Trump's inauguration (8,000), and thousands of agents from the Washington D.C. Police Department. In addition, the area around the Capitol has been protected with fences and concertina, a display of security never before seen at an inauguration.
Who will be present, and who will not?
Members of the House of Representatives, the Senate and the Cabinet are set to attend an inauguration ceremony that, as is tradition, will be attended by former Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton, accompanied by the first ladies. But on this occasion, President Trump will leave Washington in the morning to go to his Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago. He will have to do so before Biden is sworn in, at which point he will no longer be able to use Air Force One, which belongs to the president of the United States. Only three presidents in history have chosen not to attend the opening ceremony - John Adams, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Johnson - and none of them in the last 100 years. Even so, the one who will be present is Vice President Mike Pence, who will be the highest visible authority of the current cabinet.
What will the event consist of?
The ceremony, which will be broadcasted on the major television networks and the YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Twitch platforms, has only one formal requirement: that the president-elect recite the presidential oath, which reads: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States". With these words, Biden will become the 46th President, and Harris, who will have been sworn in earlier, the first female Vice President in history. The ceremony will then follow, as usual, with celebrations, and finally Biden and his family will head to the White House.
What performances will there be?
If nothing changes in this exceptional inauguration, some of the country's most acclaimed artists will perform live, as is tradition. Lady Gaga, who has supported the new president, will sing the national anthem, and Jennifer Lopez and country singer Garth Brooks will also perform during the ceremony. In addition, actor Tom Hanks will present an hour-and-a-half program on television, instead of from the Capitol, to address the coronavirus recommendations. This program, which will be broadcasted on the main networks in the country, except for Fox News, a medium close to Trump, will feature other artists such as Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato, Justin Timberlake, and Bruce Springsteen.
