Joe Biden promised to undo much of his predecessor’s legacy and restore what he refers to as “the soul of America” by proving that the past four years represented an aberration rather than an enduring rift in the national fabric.
All incoming presidents change the decor of the largely symbolic room to offer a sense of their personality and the type of presidency they hope to have. President Biden’s is notable for the sheer number of portraits and busts of well-known American historical figures.
We have been at war with our own democracy. But we haven’t yet managed to topple our moral code.
New presidential families, past commanders in chief and government members of both parties were in attendance as a new era was marked in American democracy.
Wednesday’s inauguration was unlike any before, coming at one of the most tumultuous moments in U.S. history.
The Los Angeles poet became the youngest inaugural poet and nearly stole the show, drawing immediate praise on social media for her poise and lyricism.
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Allie Caren/The Washington Post
Amanda Gorman and poetry's short history at presidential inaugurationsPresident Joe Biden on Jan. 20 became the fourth president ever to have a poet recite their work at a presidential inauguration.
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Only six of the nine showed up for the ceremony. Justices Clarence Thomas, Stephen Breyer and Samuel Alito skipped it. It was the first time in more than 20 years that not all of the justices witnessed the ceremony.
Over 24 hours, the country went through its own peaceful transition — of emotion, of memory, of pain and hope.
The 46th president held his hand on a Bible at 11:48 a.m., but it is not the taking of the oath that determines when the previous term ends.
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