Trump Out, Biden In: US Presidential Inauguration Today As Tensions Rise In Nation’s Capital
After four tumultuous years, Donald Trump’s presidency will come to an end with Joe Biden assuming office following an inauguration ceremony held at the US Capitol today.
All eyes will be on Washington DC to witness the ceremonial transition of power but this is far from your typical, pomp inauguration with tensions running high for several, different reasons.
President Trump won’t be attending the ceremony, snubbing a long-held tradition and becoming the first incumbent president since Andrew Johnson in 1869 to skip his successor’s inauguration.
Although Trump won’t be there, 25,000 national guards will be as they stand ready to react to any insurrection following a shocking and chaotic coup attempt on the Capitol by pro-Trump supporters two weeks ago.
Image Credit: Philadelphia Inquirer
The riots reflected the tipping point of what has been a divisive four years under President Trump exacerbated by his baseless claims that he had the 2020 election stolen from him. Many condemned the actions of rioters on the day, including some of Malta’s top officials.
Tensions run high in the nation’s capital today as FBI warns of possible armed marches by pro-Trump supporters. Just yesterday, the nation’s capital went into a brief lockdown as a security precaution following reports of smoke nearby inauguration rehearsal.
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Major junctions have been closed and manned with troops but many will be watching the ceremony online as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage on in the US, killing more than 400,000 people across the country so far.
President-elect Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris will take the oath of office in front of the Capitol building. Once sworn in, Biden will give an inaugural address where he is expected to address the key agendas of his office.
The most pressing issue America faces is the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden has committed to speeding up vaccination rollouts with the ambition to distribute 100 million jabs in the first 100 days of his office.
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He’s also committed to rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, a global agreement to help stop global warming, which the US backed out of under President Trump.
On the other hand, President Trump will spend his final moments in office hosting a farewell ceremony at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland before packing his bags and heading to Mar-a-Lago to begin his post-presidential life.
Though Trump’s presidency is over, a looming impeachment trial overshadows his term with the Senate expected to reconvene at a later stage to vote on whether Trump should be impeached for abuse of power following the deadly Capitol riots.
What did you make of Trump’s one-term presidency? Let us know below
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