A new era begins as Biden and Harris are sworn in
Yesterday the world watched as the U.S. said goodbye to it’s 45th president, Donald Trump, and welcomed Joe Biden as its 46th, along with Kamala Harris as vice-president, in the inauguration ceremony on Jan. 20.
Trump was not in attendance and is the first president to skip the swearing in of his successor in a century and half.
As the least popular POTUS and FLOTUS in U.S. history, Trump and his wife Melania landed in Florida just before 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
The inauguration was a smooth and quiet process, albeit a different one when compared to previous years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and potential threat of violence from Trump supporters. Flags took the place of audience members, and 25,000 National Guard members stood by on security watch.
Despite the looming threat of violence, there were minimal protesters in Washington. There was a bomb threat called in at the Supreme Court, but it was later found to be a hoax.
Biden and Harris, the first female, Black, and South Asian vice-president, were sworn in at noon, followed by performances from celebrities including Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, and Garth Brooks.
The new president wasted no time in getting to work, signing 15 executive orders just hours after being sworn in.
The orders included a mask mandate, halting the process of withdrawing from the World Health Organization, re-entering the Paris accord, and revoking the presidential permit granted to the Keystone XL oil pipeline. He also halted the building of the border wall and ended a travel ban on some majority-Muslim countries, according to CTV News.