Joe Biden took oath as the 46th President of the United States of America on Wednesday, saying that “democracy has prevailed” as he took charge of a deeply divided nation and inherited a confluence of crises much greater than his predecessors. Biden promised to marshal a spirit of national unity and guide the country through one of the most perilous chapters of its history.
Millions watched inauguration at home and abroad as Chief Justice John Roberts took the oath of presidency from Biden outside the US capitol.
Donald Trump, who never formally conceded his defeat, left the White House on Wednesday for the final time and was not in the attendance at the inauguration, as he had made clear several days ago. Vice-President Mike Pence was there, along with the Clintons, Obamas and the Bushes.
Kamala Harris took charge as the first woman to serve at the seat of the Vice-President of the United States of America. The former US senator from California also became the first black woman and the first woman from South Asian descent to be elected for the vice presidency.
Tens of thousands of troops were stationed on the streets and roads to provide security for the inauguration, precisely two weeks after the pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol Hill in a violent display of force.
Donald Trump left the White House on Wednesday and departed for Maryland. “So just a goodbye. We love you”, he told his supporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland where he walked on the red carpet boarded a plane to Florida. “We will be back in some form”, he said.