Joe Biden Confirmed to be the 46th President of the United States

Today, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States during one of the most fragile times in American history, calling for unity in a country struck by the deadly pandemic and recent storming of the U.S. Capitol. 

“We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue,” Biden said in his inaugural address.

Biden gave his inaugural speech just minutes after Kamala Harris was sworn into office, making history as the first woman, first African American and first Asian American to be the Vice President of the United States. Harris was escorted by Eugene Goodman, a Capitol police officer who was noted as a hero for diverting the mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. 

In his speech, Biden acknowledged the events that took place two weeks prior: “So now, on this hallowed ground where just days ago violence sought to shake this Capitol's very foundation, we come together as one nation, under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries.”

Today, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was sworn in as the 46th President of the United StatesSource: U.S. Embassy Jerusalem

Biden and Harris took part in modified versions of the U.S. presidential inauguration ceremonies. They accepted gifts from congressional leaders and attended a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. 

Just hours after the inauguration, Biden took action targeting some of his lead initiatives in relation to the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. Taking his first seat in the Oval Office, Biden signed a series of executive orders to address issues regarding immigration, COVID-19, climate change, racial equality and more. Biden announced his plans to rejoin the Paris Agreement and instill a mask mandate on federal property. 

Former President Trump departed Washington early Wednesday morning before the inauguration and arrived in Florida, followed by a send-off ceremony at Joint Base Andrews. Despite Trump’s absence today, Biden received the letter his predecessor wrote him. “The president wrote a very generous letter. Because it was private, I will — won’t talk about it until I talk to him. But it was generous,” Biden said.

Mr. Biden proceeded with urgency as he signed 17 executive orders, memorandums and proclamations immediately upon his confirmation. In his inaugural speech, Biden emphasized his pursuit to bring the country together in the high times of uncertainty and fear. “Politics doesn’t have to be a raging fire, destroying everything in its path,” he said. “Every disagreement doesn’t have to be a cause for total war. And we must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured.”