Watch: Biden, Harris take office; follow Inauguration Day events here
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris took office Wednesday, and remote viewers can watch their inauguration live here.
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Biden and Harris will take the oath of office at the West Front of the U.S. Capitol at noon EST, after which the new president is expected to give an inaugural address. Harris will make history as the first woman, the first Black person and the first South Asian-American person to hold the office of the vice president.
The ceremony and surrounding festivities will look different this year due to the coronavirus pandemic and in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a mob in support of President Donald Trump.
Tickets are limited to members of the 117th Congress and one guest each, or roughly 1,000 people. That’s compared to the usual 200,000 tickets lawmakers distribute to their constituents.
The Presidential Inaugural Committee will host a virtual “Parade Across America” following the inauguration and Biden’s escort to the White House. It will “feature diverse, dynamic performances in communities across the country,” the committee says.
The committee will also hold a “Celebrating America” televised event from 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. EST that will take the place of some traditional inaugural celebrations. It will be available to watch live on the inaugural committee’s social media pages and will be carried live by ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, MSNBC and PBS, the committee says.
Security in Washington, D.C., has been ramped up following the Capitol siege. Thousands of members of the National Guard had been arriving daily in the district ahead of Inauguration Day, with 25,000 members authorized to help provide security at the inauguration, ABC News reports. The FBI and Secret Service have also boosted security measures, according to The New York Times.
Trump left the White House for the last time early Wednesday. He boarded Marine One and held a departure ceremony at Joint Base Andrews before boarding Air Force One to fly to Palm Beach International Airport. He will be one of few presidents in history to skip his successor’s swearing in.
This story was originally published January 20, 2021 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Watch: Biden, Harris take office; follow Inauguration Day events here."
