US President-elect Joe Biden arrives with wife Jill Biden to deliver remarks on the Electoral college certification at the Queen Theatre in Wilmington, Delaware on December 14. PHOTO/AFP.
Joe Biden is US president-elect. But the Democrat won’t officially
make his move to the White House until inauguration day - a political
parade of sorts, when Mr Biden takes the oath of office.
Here’s what you need to know about the big day.
What is the inauguration?
The inauguration is the event where the US president-elect and vice-president elect are sworn in.
“I
do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of
President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability,
preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
Once
he utters these words, enshrined in America’s founding document, Mr
Biden will take his place as the 46th president and the inauguration
will be complete (but that’s not all - celebrations traditionally
follow).
When is Biden’s inauguration?
By
law, inauguration day is January 20. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be
sworn in at noon that day in Washington DC. Opening remarks are
historically scheduled for around 11:30 EST (16:30 GMT).
Once Mr
Biden takes the oath, he has officially assumed office and the power of
the presidency is his. He’ll move into the White House later in the day -
his home for the next four years.
How do you get inauguration tickets?
If you want to attend the inaugural ceremonies, you’ll need to talk to your local representatives first.
Senators and members of Congress are the keepers of the keys. Each has an allotted number of tickets that they can distribute.
But
this year, with Covid-19 infections still surging across the US, things
will be a little different. Only around 1,000 tickets will be up for
grabs, where in the past up to 200,000 were made available for the
official ceremony.
This year it amounts to each lawmaker plus a
guest. Some members of Congress have already opened up submission forms,
with the caveat that nothing is guaranteed.
The Biden team has “strongly encouraged” people to refrain from travelling to Washington to attend, amid fears of virus spread.
In
normal circumstances, DC would see hundreds of thousands - make that an
estimated two million the year President Obama was sworn in - of
inauguration revellers flock to the city, swarming the National Mall and
selling out hotels.
Why is the inauguration in January?
A
January inauguration wasn’t always the case - the Constitution
initially set March 4 as the day for new leaders to take their oaths of
office.
Selecting a date four months from the November general
election made sense at the time given how long it took for votes from
across the country to trickle in to the capital.
But this also meant
the lame duck period - the time when an outgoing president is still in
office - was quite long. Eventually, as modern advances made it easier
to count and report votes, this lengthy time frame was changed. The 20th
Amendment, ratified in 1933, decreed the new president would be
inaugurated on January 20 instead.
Where is the inauguration held?
The
stage is already being set up in front of the US Capitol in Washington
DC, overlooking the National Mall. While the scene of crowds amid the
nation’s monuments may be a familiar one, it’s only been a tradition
since President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
Barack Obama’s 2008 inauguration reportedly drew some two million people to the celebrations PHOTO/BBC.
Before that, presidents took their oaths on the other side of the
Capitol, inside the chambers of Congress, at the White House, or
elsewhere in the country (George Washington took his oath in New York
City).
After the swearing in ceremony, there’s usually a parade down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House.
This
year, the celebration’s size will be “extremely limited”, the Biden
team has said, and events like the parade will be “re-imagined” amid the
coronavirus pandemic. So far, it’s not quite clear what these
Covid-friendly plans will look like.
Who is performing?
Mr Biden has not yet announced
who he’ll have on stage with him to lend some star power. Expect some
big names. In recent years, incoming presidents have added some of the
country’s most beloved performers to the day’s programme.
George W
Bush’s first inaugural address in 2001 featured music from military
bands, but the Republican was later joined by Ricky Martin and Destiny’s
Child - featuring a 19-year-old Beyoncé Knowles - for the celebrations.
And in 2005, President Bush’s second inaugural celebration was
bolstered by performances from singers Hilary Duff and Gloria Estefan.
In 2009, the “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin turned out for Barack Obama’s inauguration, performing My
Country ‘Tis of Thee'
Beyoncé
was also on hand, singing At Last to the first couple at Mr Obama’s
inaugural ball. At his second inauguration in 2013, President Obama
called on Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson to do the honours. Beyoncé
was back again, this time to sing the national anthem.
At the most
recent inauguration, Donald Trump reportedly had more trouble booking
performers. Elton John declined Mr Trump’s offer to perform, and reports
circulated that Celine Dion, Kiss and Garth Brooks did the same. In the
end, the Rockettes, country artist Lee Greenwood, and band 3 Doors Down
turned out for Mr Trump’s day.
Will Trump be there?
It’s become customary for the outgoing president to watch the next in line be sworn in. This can make things awkward.
As
a former first lady, Hillary Clinton joined her husband, former
President Bill Clinton, at Mr Trump’s inauguration - just two months
after her election defeat and a bitter campaign against Mr Trump.
There
have been exceptions, but none in the last century. President John
Adams, his son, President John Quincy Adams, and President Andrew
Johnson all sat out their successor’s inauguration.
This year, there’s some speculation that Mr Trump may add himself to this list and boycott Mr Biden’s swearing in.
The
president has still not conceded the race, despite Mr Biden’s win in
the electoral college - the system the US uses to choose its president -
and a more than five million vote lead in the popular vote. So far, Mr
Trump has refused to say if he will show.
Some of his supporters have
taken it a step further, planning a virtual “second inauguration” for
Mr Trump on the same day that Mr Biden takes office. More than 60,000
people have said on Facebook they will attend the event and show their
support for Mr Trump.
For his part, Mr Biden has said he hopes his
predecessor attends in order to set a positive example of a peaceful
transition of power.
But Mr Trump’s presence is “not on the top 10
list” of the president-elect’s priorities, incoming press secretary Jen
Psaki said this month.
editorial@ug.nationmedia.com
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