Biden inaugurated as 46th president of the United States
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States Wednesday, January 20. Kamala Harris became the first woman inaugurated as Vice President.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent violence at the U.S. Capitol building, Biden’s inauguration looked much much different from those of past presidents.
PBS NewsHour is providing special coverage of the inauguration. Coverage began at 8:30 a.m. MT on Rocky Mountain PBS. You can also stream the inauguration on our Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as in the video player below.
The inaugural ceremony began around 9:30 a.m. MT with a performance of the National Anthem by Lady Gaga. Vice President Kamala Harris was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor just before 10. Then, Chief Justice John Roberts swore in Joe Biden as the nation's 46th president.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only members of congress and their guests were allowed to attend the inauguration, a ceremony that usually attracts ten of thousands of attendees. President Trump, breaking with tradition, did not attend Biden’s inauguration. Vice President Mike Pence was in attendance, along with former presidents Bush, Clinton and Obama (this is the first inauguration Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter have missed since 1977).
Biden’s inauguration took place exactly two weeks after the violent riot at the U.S. Capitol that left five people dead, including a police officer. President Trump was quickly impeached a week later for “incitement of insurrection.” Ten republicans joined Democrats in voting to impeach the president. Trump became the first president in history to be impeached twice. Most adults—including 96% of Democrats—believe Trump deserves blame for the attempted insurrection on the U.S. Capitol, according to a recent NewsHour-Marist Poll.
The bolstered security at the inauguration in response to the January 6 attack was apparent. About 20,000 members of the National Guard, including at least 200 from Colorado, were deployed to Washington to provide extra security for the ceremony.
There will still be some entertainment, despite the added precautions. Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, and Garth Brooks all performed on Wednesday.
At 6:30 p.m. MT, the NewsHour team is providing anchored coverage of the Presidential Inaugural Committee’s “Celebrating America” program that will culminate the inauguration events. The special will include remarks from Biden and Harris, and performances from a variety of guests.