THE long nightmare is over, rendered back to darkness in the bright Washington sunlight that shone on the silver hair of a man who perhaps, just perhaps, really does embody hope over fear, and who might just be capable of making the United States of America a beacon of light and democracy again.
With dignity and decorum that his predecessor never revealed, Joseph R Biden was yesterday sworn in as the 46th President of the USA and immediately issued a ringing call for unity in the deeply divided country he clearly loves and the pandemic that made his own inauguration a cut-down version.
With his sincere passion and his basic decency on display, he gave a remarkable speech that in just 21 minutes blew away the legacy of Donald J Trump – he never once named him – with the new president emphasising the need for truth and calling for an end to America’s “uncivil war” while he committed to defeating the coronavirus pandemic as “one nation”.
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Standing on the Capitol which had been ransacked by Trump supporters a fortnight ago, in his first act as president, Biden called for a few moments silence to remember the 400,000 Americans who have died of Covid-19. It was a symbol of Biden’s message – his will be an administration that will wear masks and beat the disease.
Having waited so long, it’s understandable that 78-year-old Biden was keen to get on with the job, and the Presidential Oath was actually taken 11 minutes early, as President Donald Trump was not formally supposed to demit office until 12 noon.
Behind the Biden family sat former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W Bush – Donald Trump disinvited himself and slunk off to Florida.
With his wife Jill by his side holding the family Bible, President Joseph Robinette Biden swore his oath before Chief Justice John Roberts, promising to defend the Constitution and the country “against all enemies, foreign and domestic”.
Against the background of Trump’s refusal to accept electoral defeat and the riots at the Capitol a fortnight ago, and with America divided once again over race following the police killing of George Floyd, the new president made tackling the coronavirus pandemic and climate change just two of his priorities.
It was going to need stern words for those who attempted to usurp democracy and soothing sentences for his defeated opponents, and President Biden duly delivered.
“This is democracy’s day,” he said, and added: “We’ve learned again that democracy is precious. And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.
“Today we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate but a cause, the cause of democracy.”
He became the first president ever to mention “white supremacy” in an inaugural address and said it must be confronted: “The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer.”
He called for unity time and again: “This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and unity is the path forward.
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“I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy these days. I know the forces that divide us are deep and they are real. I also know they are not new. Unity is the path forward.”
In a direct reference to Trump and fake news he said: “We must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured.”
In a phrase that may yet define his speech, President Biden promised that America would engage with the world again, saying: “We’ll lead not merely by the example of our power, but by the power of our example.”
The pandemic is his top priority and he acknowledged the challenge: “We will be judged, you and I, by how we resolve these cascading crises of our era. Will we rise to the occasion? Will we master this rare and difficult hour?”
Earlier, vice-president Kamala Harris, the first woman of colour and South Asian descent to hold the office, was sworn in by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first woman of colour and Latina to serve on the Supreme Court.
Referencing that historic moment, President Biden said: “Don’t tell me that things can’t change.”
Prior to the oath-taking, Lady Gaga gave her own superb rendition of the national anthem, while after Kamala Harris swore her oath, Jennifer Lopez entertained the crowd with Woody Guthrie’s This Land is Your Land – known as America’s other anthem – and America the Beautiful.
After the president’s speech, country legend Garth Brooks sang Amazing Grace before America’s youth poet laureate, 22-year-old Amanda Gorman gave a spellbinding rendition of the poetic speech she had written, ending with the words: “There is always light if we are brave enough to see it. If only we are brave enough to be it.”
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