Joe and Jill Biden, Tuesday evening, paying tribute to the dead of Covid-19.

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Alex Brandon / AP / SIPA

Less than twenty-four hours before his swearing in, Joe Biden paid tribute to the victims of the Covid-19 in Washington on Tuesday, marking the contrast with outgoing President Donald Trump who has for months tried to minimize the impact of a pandemic that has killed more than 400,000 people in the United States.

“To heal, we have to remember.

It is hard to remember sometimes but this is how we heal, ”he said in front of the imposing Abraham Lincoln Memorial.

The former right-hand man of Barack Obama, who will become this Wednesday at noon the 46th president in the history of the United States, then reflected, to the sound of Leonard Cohen's song "Hallelujah", in front of the 400 lights which had been lit all around the rectangular basin in which the Washington Monument was reflected.

Trump at the lowest in the polls

Reclusive in the White House, Donald Trump, who is leaving power at the lowest point in the polls and cut off from part of his camp, contented himself with a pre-recorded video message as a farewell speech to the 'after a mandate marked by an avalanche of scandals, two "impeachments" and a murderous assault on the Capitol.

If he wished for the success of the new administration for the first time on Tuesday, he did not at any time congratulate his successor, or pronounce his name.

He will become the first president not to attend the swearing-in of his successor for 150 years.

A few hours earlier, when leaving his home in Delaware, Joe Biden had been very moved, tears streaming down his face.

“Well, excuse my emotion, when I die Delaware will be written in my heart,” the Democrat said, echoing the words of Irish author James Joyce.

At 78, Joe Biden will be the oldest American president to take office.

He underlined the historic choice of his running mate Kamala Harris, who will become Wednesday the first woman vice-president but also the first black person, and of Indian origin, to occupy this function.

Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, will be there

In his farewell message, Donald Trump, defender of “America first” praised his economic and foreign policy record, in particular his firmness vis-à-vis China.

"I am particularly proud to be the first president in decades not to have started new wars," prided the outgoing president.

In both substance and form, Joe Biden intends to mark a contrast as clear as possible with his predecessor.

On Wednesday, the one who presents himself as a "unifier" will send a message of unity to the Americans, during a speech of twenty to thirty minutes.

Another moment of union with strong symbolism: Mitch McConnell, leader of the Republicans in the Senate, will be present with him, at his invitation, during a mass at Saint-Matthew's Cathedral on Wednesday morning.

The other leaders of the Congress were also invited.

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