Joe Biden is set to be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States this Wednesday the 20th of January at 5pm Irish time (12pm Washington, DC time). Kamala Harris will also become the first ever female vice president of the United States, making history for the US.
The inauguration will be streamed online due to Covid-19, with only 2,000 people expected to be there as opposed to the usual 200,000 tickets available and the hundreds of thousands of people who go to the US capital to celebrate. This year US citizens have been asked to stay home and celebrate. This is not the only concern of organizers, as it is feared Trump supporters will violently interfere with the proceedings, after they carried out a terrorist attack on the Capitol Building in Washington, DC on January 6th.
The celebration will host the performances of singers Jenifer Lopez, Lady Gaga and Demi Lovato. With Lady Gaga set to sing the US national anthem. “America United” has been announced as the theme of the inauguration, “at a time of unprecedented crisis and deep divisions, America United reflects the beginning of a new national journey that restores the soul of America, brings the country together, and creates a path to a brighter future” Biden’s inaugural committee said in a statement.
RTÉ will broadcast the ceremony live from the US capital, starting at 4pm Irish time and will continue until 5.40pm. Coverage will also be shown later on RTÉ news and RTÉ player. It will also be available to watch on CNN.
Donald Trump has said he will not attend the ceremony in a tweet earlier this month, however, soon to be former vice-president Mike Pence will be there. Also on the guestlist are former US presidents George W Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, alongside the former first ladies.
After being sworn in and delivering his speech, Biden will be escorted to the White House, which will be his home for his time as president. He will then take office as the 46th US president.