Watching the inauguration
When does the inauguration start:
Early Wednesday morning, President Trump and Melania Trump will leave the White House without welcoming the Bidens. The Bidens will attend a church service before the official inauguration ceremony. The Inauguration program will officially begin around 11:15 a.m EST.
READ MORE: How to Watch the inauguration
After the swearing in, Biden is expected to issue a number of executive orders, including
- Canceling the Keystone XL pipeline
- Rejoining the Paris climate accord
- Rejoining WHO with Dr. Fauci as head of the delegation
READ MORE: Here are the executive actions Biden is expected to take on Inauguration Day
Reader Thoughts:
"What a glorious day!" - Monica M. " It's a sad day for America." - Pam R. "Time to celebrate " -Patti R "Proud to be an AMERICAN once again!" -Christine L. " Hopeful, joyous, proud!!" -Terri N. "Sad day for this country" -Trevor T. " Woooohooooo" -Joanna M "Dark winter day one." -Fred B.
Poll Results:
Will you watch the inauguration?
YES: 42.7%
NO: 47.6%
UNSURE: 9.8%
How do you feel about the election?
Biden won, fair and square: 48.8%
Trump won, but there was massive voter fraud: 42.7%
I don’t have an opinion on this: 2.4%
Other: 6.1%
“Other” Responses:
“Both choices sucked”
“There was a lot wrong with the election, but no way to tell if it affected the results”
“MSM has earned a lack of trust so anything they say is taken with a grain of salt “
“I think there was some fraud, but not enough to put Trump ahead“
We’ve got boots on the ground
Our freelance writer, Fernando Soto is covering the inauguration Wednesday. So, check back often for up-to-date coverage.
WASHINGTON, DC – Military vehicles, constant sirens and crowds of journalist filled the streets of D.C. on Wednesday. More than 25,000 National Guard troops were sent in from several states including Wisconsin to protect the Capitol before, during and right after President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
While inaugural celebrations typically attract hundreds of thousands of spectators this year most watched from home.
Liane Kufchock traveled from Farmington Hills, MI “to be a witness to history.”
Kufchock says she wants her “great-grandkids to know it was important enough for her to fly out here to usher in a new era.”
Due to the violent storming of the Capitol on January 6, much of D.C. was blocked off with multiple layers of security checkpoints which were only accessible to those with proper credentials.
Reporters swarmed the outside perimeters of the gated areas. Every now and then bombarding a spectator or two with questions.
As it got closer to noon, the few scattered Biden/Harris supporters worked their way to the Black Lives Matter Plaza, a couple of blocks behind the White House, to celebrate the incoming administration.
Four daughters brought their mom to D.C. to celebrate her birthday and witness the “swearing in of a new president.” The Hilary family, who asked to be identified by their last name, is originally from Peru but now resides in New York.
The youngest of the group, a seven-year-old, said she “felt happy that there’s a new president. The old president was very mean and racist.”
As Biden took the podium a couple blocks away, the crowd came to a standstill, and gathered around a speaker to hear his message of unity.
Nadine Seiler, a Trinidadian who now resides in Waldorf, MD, said she is proud of Vice-President Harris “as a female, proud of her as a black person, proud of her as a [person] of west Indian heritage.”
“I’m actually occupying this space since October 27 [2020],” said Seiler pointing the the fence that the Trump administration erected “to keep us out.”
Seiler says it’s just her and another person “protecting it from Trump supporters vandalizing it on a daily basis.”
Kufchock, a white woman, said part of the importance of being present today was because “Black Lives Matter deeply to me. We have never fully learned African-American, Black history.”
“That’t the church that President Trump held a Bible up and waved, and he’s gone now,” Kufchock added pointing to St. Johns Episcopal Church a few yards behind her.
While Seiler felt happy and proud of Harris, she said she “is not so much pro-Biden as much as [she is] anti-Trump.” A president she had been “protesting him fort the last four years.”
The Hilary’s wanted to share a message for the Hispanic community, “have hope. The next four years we are going to see a lot of changes. Let’s be united, that’s why they call it the United States.”
Survey Responses:
What are some of the biggest issues facing the country right now?
“Corrupt government”
“Poverty”
“Getting through this pandemic and affordable healthcare”
“Biden and Harris”
“Racism and economic instability”
“Division. COVID. Racism.”
“Pandemic. immigration bias, housing issues, student issues”
How would you like to see them addressed?
“Stop having government control so much of our lives”
“Higher minimum wage and universal healthcare”
“Federal oversight of vaccine programs and healthcare without insurance companies”
“Remove (Biden and Harris) from office”
“With Unity”
“As soon as possible. If congress doesn’t cooperate, then by decree.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.