By: Emdad Swapan
A new era begins in the White House, as Joe Biden has now been inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States, he is now “POTUS.” The inauguration was organized by the Biden Inaugural Committee and the Senate Rules Committee. The rules committee is led by Senators Roy Blunt & Amy Klobuchar. It was a star studded event, with former Presidents, Vice-Presidents, and spouses in attendance. Bill & Hillary Clinton, George W & Laura Bush, Barack & Michelle Obama, Mike & Karen Pence, and Dan Quayle. But there were also notable absences, Donald & Melania Trump. They departed to Florida early Wednesday morning, instead of attending the inauguration, breaking the long tradition of the outgoing president leaving after the inauguration.
The inauguration was very well planned and it had some notable performers. Lady Gaga sang a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem, Jennifer Lopez sang “This Land Is Your Land,” Garth Brooks sang “Amazing Grace,” and most notably was the poem read by Amanda Gorman. Then, Kamala Harris was sworn in by Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, to officially become Madame Vice President. Chief Justice John Roberts swore in Joseph Robinette Biden Jr, to officially make him Mr. President, aka POTUS.
After the festivities and the oaths, Joe Biden gave his inaugural address, in which he focused his speech on uniting the country. Following the address, POTUS, FLOTUS, VPOTUS, and the Second Gentlemen all went inside the capitol, to receive gifts from congressional leadership. Then they finally headed to the White House, while accompanied by a marching band parade.
Official work as President began at the White House, as Biden signed many executive orders that overturned many of Trump’s policies, including rejoining the World Health Organization & the Paris Climate Agreement. New White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki held her first press briefing at 7 p.m. Then the last event of this historic day, the inaugural concert, was hosted by actor Tom Hanks. There were many musical performances from well known artists, including Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Justin Timberlake, John Legend, Demi Lovato, and Katy Perry, who sang her classic song “Firework.” While Katy Perry was singing, there were actual fireworks going off in Washington, as the Biden & Harris families watched, so did the entire country. Biden’s inauguration was very well executed, given the global pandemic & the tight security in Washington.
Images From CNN, ABC News, NBC News, & The AP