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Inauguration Day Like No Other<\/em>, The New York Times, January 20, 2021<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In a unique and truly extraordinary inauguration, in the midst of unique and truly extraordinary times in numerous ways, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. and Kamala Devi Harris were sworn-in as the president and vice-president of the United States today. The initial report from The New York Times, posted today and in print on the front page tomorrow, follows:<\/p>\n Biden Inaugurated as the 46th President Amid a Cascade of Crises<\/a><\/p>\n By Peter Baker, Jan. 20, 2021<\/p>\n Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. and Kamala Devi Harris took the oath of office at a Capitol still reeling from the attack of a violent mob at a time when a deadly pandemic is still ravaging the country<\/em><\/p>\n Credit…<\/span>Chang W. Lee\/The New York Times<\/span><\/p>\n (Video:\u00a0Highlights From President Biden\u2019s Inauguration<\/a>)<\/p>\n Leer en espa\u00f1ol<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThrough a crucible for the ages, America has been tested anew and America has risen to the challenge,\u201d the president said in a 21-minute Inaugural Address that blended soaring themes with folksy touches.<\/p>\n \u201cThe will of the people has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded,\u201d he added. \u201cWe\u2019ve learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.\u201d<\/p>\n Already abbreviated because of Mr. Trump\u2019s refusal to concede, the transition that ended Wednesday was like none before, not just from one party to another but from one reality to another. A president who came to Washington to blow up the system was replaced by one who is a lifelong creature of it. A president who seemed capable of almost anything at any moment was dislodged by one who fits comfortably in the conventions of modern politics.<\/p>\n Mr. Biden\u2019s broader message was conciliatory yet challenging, as he called on Americans to put aside their deep and dark divisions to come together to confront the coronavirus pandemic<\/a>, economic troubles and the scourge of racism.WASHINGTON \u2014 Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was sworn in on Wednesday as the 46th president of the United States, assuming leadership of a country ravaged by disease, dislocation and division with a call to \u201cend this uncivil war\u201d after four tumultuous years that tore at the fabric of American society.<\/p>\n Mr. Biden sought to immediately turn the corner on Donald J. Trump\u2019s polarizing presidency, inviting Republicans to join him in confronting the nation\u2019s dire economic, social and health crises even as he began dismantling his predecessor\u2019s legacy with orders to halt construction of his border wall, lift his travel ban and rejoin the Paris climate agreement<\/a>.<\/p>\n The ritualistic transfer of power ended weeks of suspense as the vanquished president waged a relentless bid to hang on, only to be rebuffed at every level of government, clearing the way for Mr. Biden to claim his office. With his hand on a five-inch-thick Bible that has been in his family for 128 years, Mr. Biden recited the 35-word oath administered by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. at 11:49 a.m., 11 minutes before the constitutionally prescribed noon hour.<\/p>\n Vice President Kamala Devi Harris<\/a> was sworn in a few minutes earlier by Justice Sonia Sotomayor using a Bible that once belonged to Thurgood Marshall, the civil rights icon and Supreme Court justice. Ms. Harris thus became the highest-ranking woman in the history of the United States and the first Black American and first person of South Asian descent to hold the nation\u2019s second highest office.<\/p>\n The drama of the moment was underscored by the sight of Mr. Biden taking the oath on the same West Front of the Capitol seized just two weeks ago by a marauding mob trying to block final ratification of Mr. Trump\u2019s election defeat. Without ever naming Mr. Trump, who left the White House early in the morning for Florida but still faces a Senate trial for provoking his supporters, Mr. Biden said that the United States\u2019 democratic experiment itself had come under assault by extremism and lies but ultimately endured.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThrough a crucible for the ages, America has been tested anew and America has risen to the challenge,\u201d the president said in a 21-minute Inaugural Address that blended soaring themes with folksy touches.<\/p>\n \u201cThe will of the people has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded,\u201d he added. \u201cWe\u2019ve learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.\u201d<\/p>\n Already abbreviated because of Mr. Trump\u2019s refusal to concede, the transition that ended Wednesday was like none before, not just from one party to another but from one reality to another. A president who came to Washington to blow up the system was replaced by one who is a lifelong creature of it. A president who seemed capable of almost anything at any moment was dislodged by one who fits comfortably in the conventions of modern politics.<\/p>\n Mr. Biden\u2019s broader message was conciliatory yet challenging, as he called on Americans to put aside their deep and dark divisions to come together to confront the coronavirus pandemic<\/a>, economic troubles and the scourge of racism.<\/p>\n \u201cWe must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal,\u201d Mr. Biden said. \u201cWe can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts, if we show a little tolerance and humility, and if we\u2019re willing to stand in the other person\u2019s shoes, as my mom would say, just for a moment.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Biden used the word \u201cunity\u201d or \u201cuniting\u201d 11 times, saying that he knew it \u201ccan sound to some like a foolish fantasy\u201d but insisting that Americans had emerged from previous moments of discord and could do so again.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can join forces, stop the shouting and lower the temperature,\u201d he said. \u201cFor without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury. No progress, only exhausting outrage. No nation, only a state of chaos. This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and unity is the path forward.\u201d<\/p>\n A historic moment, but also a surreal one. Unlike most inaugurals suffused with joy and a sense of new beginning, the nation\u2019s 59th inauguration on a chilly but sunny day served to illustrate America\u2019s troubles. Amid fear of further violence, Washington was transformed into an armed camp, with 25,000 National Guard troops joining thousands of police officers in blocking off a wide section of downtown.<\/p>\n With the pandemic still raging and the death toll topping 400,000, Americans were told to stay away, leading to the eerie spectacle of a new president addressing a largely empty National Mall, filled not with people but with flags meant to represent the absent crowd. Mr. Biden and most of the participants wore masks through most of the activities.<\/p>\n Many inaugural customs were scrapped because of the virus, including a lunch with congressional leaders in Statuary Hall, a full-scale parade down Pennsylvania Avenue and the gala evening balls where the new president and his wife typically dance.<\/p>\n Instead, Mr. Biden reviewed military units at the Capitol and later proceeded to the White House escorted by military marching bands as well as drum lines from the University of Delaware and Howard University, the alma maters of the new president and vice president.<\/p>\n Mr. Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, his son Hunter Biden and his daughter Ashley Biden, as well as a passel of grandchildren and other relatives, emerged from the motorcade to walk the final blocks to the White House, but it was a gesture aimed more at cameras than the crowd because there were more police and National Guard troops than spectators.<\/p>\n![\"President](\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2021\/01\/20\/us\/20dc-biden02altalt\/20dc-biden02altalt-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=600\")
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