Joe Biden has pledged to be president of all Americans as he took office on Wednesday, January 20, as the 46th President of the United States. The swearing-in ceremony was held at Capitol Hill. Around 25,000 troops were deployed at this place to prevent a second riot like the one that happened earlier this month. In his address, Biden thanked those who voted for him and promised to treat all Americans as one. He said: “I am humbled by the faith you placed is in us. To those who did not support us, as we move forward, if you still disagree, so be it, that is democracy and that is America.” Disagreement, he added, must not lead to disunion. “I pledge this to you, I will be president for all Americans. I promise that I will fight as hard for those who supported me as for those who did not,” Biden underscored. Biden was accompanied by Vice-President Kamala Harris— the first woman in the US to hold that position—and her husband. As he had announced before the ban on his Twitter account, Trump did not attend his successors inauguration, becoming the fourth president not to do so in the history of the United States. However, former Vice-President, Mike Pence attended the occasion. The ceremony was also attended by former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama. During Obama’s presidency, Biden was the Vice-President. Call for unity In his address, President Biden also emphasized how everyone’s efforts will be essential during his four-year term in office, as the US battles the Covid-19 pandemic. “In the work ahead of us we are going to need each other, we need our strength to persevere through... what may be the toughest or the deadliest period of the virus,” he said. We must set aside politics and fight this pandemic as one nation, he pledged. “I promise you this, we will go through this together.” Meanwhile, earlier in the day, in his farewell remarks, Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump wished luck to the new leadership. “I wish the new administration great luck and great success. I think they’ll have great success, they have the foundation to do something really spectacular,” Trump said in his final speech at Andrews Air Force Base. He also thanked his supporters and promised that the movement that swept him to power four years ago was just getting started, and promised to come back soon. “We love you. We will be back in some form. Have a good life, we will see you soon,” he said. After his brief farewell speech, President Trump and First Lady Melania travelled south to Florida, where Trump will be staying at his Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach.
